Marine Life / Nudibranchs

Ceratosoma tenue

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Mollusca

Class

Gastropoda

Order

Nudibranchia

Family

Chromodorididae

Genus

Ceratosoma

Species

Ceratosoma tenue

Ceratosoma tenue is a dorid nudibranch in the family Chromodorididae. Ceratosoma species have a long, firm body and a tall horn-like lobe rising from the back of the mantle, just behind the gills.

The animal on this page is pale pink to orange with scattered red spots and a purple line along the mantle edge. Colours vary a lot in this species, and Nudibranchs of the Philippines shows three different varieties.

Like other chromodorids it feeds on sponges, and its bright colours warn predators that it tastes bad.

In the Philippines it is a fairly large and easy nudibranch to spot as it crawls in the open over reef and rubble. Shoot from the side and slightly low to show off the horn and gills together, and keep the whole body sharp along its length.

It appears on page 158 of Nudibranchs of the Philippines.

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