Phyllidia picta

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Order: Nudibranchia
Family: Phyllidiidae
Genus: Phyllidia
Species: Phyllidia picta

Phyllidia picta is a dorid nudibranch in the family Phyllidiidae. Like other phyllidiids it has a firm, leathery body and no external gill plume on its back; the gills sit hidden underneath the mantle edge.

The back is pale blue to grey with black markings and raised tubercles, several of them topped with bright yellow caps. The rhinophores are yellow. Many phyllidiids look alike, so the pattern of black lines and the position of the yellow-capped tubercles are the details to check.

Phyllidiids feed on sponges, and their tough bodies carry chemical defences that make them unappealing to predators.

Phyllidiids are some of the most common nudibranchs on Philippine reefs, and they often sit in the open during the day. That makes them easy subjects, but take a clear shot of the whole back from above so the pattern can be compared for an ID.

It appears on page 178 of Nudibranchs of the Philippines.

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