Marine Life / Nudibranchs

Thecacera pacifica

kingdom

Animalia

phylum

Mollusca

class

Gastropoda

order

Nudibranchia

family

Polyceridae

genus

Thecacera

species

Thecacera pacifica

Thecacera pacifica is a dorid nudibranch in the family Polyceridae. It is bright yellow with black markings, and its rhinophores and appendages are tipped with blue and white. The distinctive processes give it an outline worth recording as carefully as its colours.

Thecacera are known as bryozoan feeders. Bryozoans are colonial animals, not plants, even when their colonies resemble delicate branches. A nearby colony should not automatically be named as this individual's food without an observation of feeding.

For divers in the Philippines, this book entry offers a reference for comparing colourful polycerid nudibranchs. Photograph the whole animal as well as the head to avoid losing important structural details.

A side view can show the appendages clearly against the background. Use controlled lighting to retain detail in the yellow and white areas, and keep your camera clear of any delicate colonies nearby.

It appears on page 37 of Nudibranchs of the Philippines.

Get our entire Nudibranchs of the Philippines book.