Phyllidia babai 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...

, a dorid 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...

, a shell-less 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 mollusk in the family Phyllidiidae

Phyllidiidae

Phyllidiidae is a family of sea slugs, dorid nudibranchs, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Phyllidioidea.This family is within the clade Euctenidiacea .-Distribution:...

.

Specific name babai is in honor of Japanese malacologist Kikutaro Baba

Kikutaro Baba

was a Japanese malacologist. He was the leading researcher on sea slugs and bubble snails, opisthobranch gastropod mollusks in Japan.- Biography :* 1932-1941 Kyushu University* 1948-1949 Osaka Kyoiku University* 1976 - Order of the Rising Sun...

.

Distribution

This species has been found in North Sulawesi

North Sulawesi

North Sulawesi is a province of Indonesia. It is on the island of Sulawesi, and borders the province of Gorontalo to the west . The islands of Sangihe and Talaud form the northern part of the province, which border Davao del Sur in the Philippines.The capital and largest city in North Sulawesi is...

, Lembeh Strait, southern Queensland, Australia, South Korea

South Korea

The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

 and rarely on Okinawa.

Description

This species has a cream to light yellow colored dorsum with white tubercles in the center of black rings and the mantle finely edged in yellow. The clavus of each rhinophore has 21 to 24 lamellae, and the rhinophoral pocket is trimmed in white. Its white-colored, pointed, oral tentacles have lateral grooves, and they also are trimmed in yellow. The ventral surface is a pale cream color.

Further reading

(in Japanese) (in Japanese) (in Japanese) (in Japanese) (in Japanese) (in japanese)