Anteaeolidiella foulisi, commonly called the indica nudibranch, is a species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 of sea slug

Slug

Slug is a common name that is normally applied to any gastropod mollusc that lacks a shell, has a very reduced shell, or has a small internal shell...

, of aeolid

Aeolidioidea

Aeolidioidea is a superfamily of small sea slugs, the aeolid nudibranchs. They are gastropod mollusks.-2005 taxonomy :The superfamily Aeolidioidea consists of the following four families :* Aeolidiidae Gray, 1827* Facelinidae Bergh, 1889* Glaucidae Gray, 1827* Piseinotecidae Edmunds, 1970Synonyms...

 nudibranch

Nudibranch

A nudibranch is a member of what is now a taxonomic clade, and what was previously a suborder, of soft-bodied, marine gastropod mollusks which shed their shell after their larval stage. They are noted for their often extraordinary colors and striking forms...

s. It is a marine

Marine (ocean)

Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...

 gastropod mollusc in the family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 Aeolidiidae

Aeolidiidae

Aeolidiidae, the aeolid nudibranchs, are a family of Nudibranchs. Many feed on hydroids and thus have highly serrated radular teeth.- Genera :Genera and species within the Aeolidiidae include:* Aeolidia Cuvier, 1797 - type genus...

.

Distribution

This species is circumtropical. It is found in the Mediterranean Sea

Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...

; the Caribbean Sea

Caribbean Sea

The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....

, along the South African coast from Saldanha Bay to southern KwaZulu Natal and along New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. It is found from the intertidal to at least 10 m.

Description

The indica nudibranch grows up to 35 mm in total length. It is a slender-bodied nudibranch with orange markings on its notum

Notum

The notum is the dorsal portion of an insect's thoracic segment. It is typically a single large sclerite. It can be further divided into the alinotum which bears the wings and the postnotum which bears the phragma....

. Its rhinophore

Rhinophore

A rhinophore is one of a pair of club-shaped structures which are the most prominent part of the external head anatomy of a group of sea slugs, marine gastropod opisthobranch mollusks in the order Nudibranchia, the nudibranchs, specifically the dorid nudibranchs.- Etymology :The name relates to the...

s and oral tentacles are white-tipped. Its cerata

Cerata

Cerata are anatomical structures found in nudibranch sea slugs, marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusks.They are dorsal and lateral outgrowths on the upper surfaces of the body....

 are short and fat and are grey or pink with pale tips.

Ecology

This nudibranch feeds on the striped anemone Anthothoe chilensis. Its egg mass is a simple spiral consisting of three complete whorls.