Spanish dancer
Encyclopedia
The Spanish dancer, scientific name Hexabranchus sanguineus (literally meaning "six-gills blood-colored"), is a dorid nudibranch
, a very large and colorful sea slug
, a marine
gastropod mollusk in the family
Hexabranchidae
.http://www.seaslugforum.net/hexasang.htm Seaslug forum
This species of very large, strong-swimming nudibranch is one of the largest of all nudibranchs: specimens of well over 40 cm in length have been reported.
The species name, sanguineus, refers to its bright red coloration, but a yellow variant also exists.
This nudibranch has two very different modes of locomotion: crawling and swimming. When it crawls, the wide edges of the mantle (the parapodia) are rolled up close to the body. When the animal swims however, the red parapodia unfurl, and are whirled through the water in a spectacular undulating motion, propelling the animal forwards.
The animal was given the common name "Spanish dancer" because the whirling swimming movement, and the red color of the mantle, are reminiscent of the skirt movements of a flamenco
dancer.
The Emperor shrimp, Periclimenes imperator
, is a commensal that is commonly found living on Hexabranchus sanguineus.
and the Red Sea
.
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 very large and colorful 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 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
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...
Hexabranchidae
Hexabranchidae
Hexabranchidae is a taxonomic family of the colorful sea slugs which are known as nudibranchs. They are marine gastropod mollusks.This family is one of the many families of dorid nudibranchs in the suborder Doridina, named after Doris, who was a sea nymph in ancient Greek mythology.The family...
.http://www.seaslugforum.net/hexasang.htm Seaslug forum
Description
The species name, sanguineus, refers to its bright red coloration, but a yellow variant also exists.
This nudibranch has two very different modes of locomotion: crawling and swimming. When it crawls, the wide edges of the mantle (the parapodia) are rolled up close to the body. When the animal swims however, the red parapodia unfurl, and are whirled through the water in a spectacular undulating motion, propelling the animal forwards.
The animal was given the common name "Spanish dancer" because the whirling swimming movement, and the red color of the mantle, are reminiscent of the skirt movements of a flamenco
Flamenco
Flamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....
dancer.
The Emperor shrimp, Periclimenes imperator
Periclimenes imperator
Periclimenes imperator is a species of shrimp with a wide distribution across the Indo-Pacific. It lives commensally on a number of hosts, including the sea slug Hexabranchus....
, is a commensal that is commonly found living on Hexabranchus sanguineus.
Distribution
This species is found throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific OceanIndo-Pacific
The Indo-Pacific is a biogeographic region of the Earth's seas, comprising the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the seas connecting the two in the general area of Indonesia...
and the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
.