Marine Life / Nudibranchs

Glossodoris acosti

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Mollusca

Class

Gastropoda

Order

Nudibranchia

Family

Chromodorididae

Genus

Glossodoris

Species

Glossodoris acosti

Glossodoris acosti is a chromodorid nudibranch with a speckled back and a frilled mantle margin banded in yellow-green and dark blue. The combination of dorsal pattern and mantle border is more useful for comparison than any one colour seen underwater.

Glossodoris feed on sponges, as do other members of the chromodorid family. Exact prey preferences should not be inferred from a photograph of an animal crawling over a reef surface. Its rhinophores help it sense chemical information in the water.

For Philippine divers, this book entry is a useful reference when checking photographs of frilled dorids. Include the head and gills as well as the striking mantle margin in your record.

A slightly elevated angle can show both the speckled back and the folds around the edge. Keep your buoyancy steady, and let the slug continue undisturbed rather than repositioning it.

It appears on page 129 of Nudibranchs of the Philippines.

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