Geitodoris heathi

Geitodoris heathi, common name "Heath's dorid", is a species of colorful sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a shell-less marine gastropod mollusk in the family Dorididae.[1][2]

Geitodoris heathi
Geitodoris heathi in a Central California tide pool, surrounded by red algae and bryozoans
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Mollusca
Class:
Gastropoda
Order:
Opisthobranchia
Suborder:
Nudibranchia
Superfamily:
Doridoidea
Family:
Discodorididae
Genus:
Geitodoris
Species:
G. heathi
Binomial name
Geitodoris heathi
(MacFarland, 1905)
Synonyms
  • Discodoris fulva O'Donoghue, 1924
  • Discodoris heathi MacFarland, 1905 (original combination)

Distribution

This species of dorid nudibranch lives in the eastern Pacific, from Alaska to Baja California.

Description

This nudibranch grows to be about 45 mm, or almost 2 inches in length. It can be white or yellow or even a sort of pinkish color, and sometimes has small dark spots.

  • Geitodoris heathi, a mating pair
  • Geitodoris heathi
  • Geitodoris heathi
  • Geitodoris heathi from Pillar Point, California

Notes

References
  1. Dayrat B. 2010. A monographic revision of discodorid sea slugs (Gastropoda, Opisthobranchia, Nudibranchia, Doridina). Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, Series 4, vol. 61, suppl. I, 1-403, 382 figs., available online at "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 8, 2015. Retrieved January 8, 2015.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=579047 on 2012-03-01
  2. Bouchet, P. (2015). Geitodoris heathi (MacFarland, 1905). In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=579047 on 2016-05-21

Books
  • Behrens David W., 1980, Pacific Coast Nudibranchs: a guide to the opisthobranchs of the northeastern Pacific, Sea Challenger Books, California
  • Sea Slug Forum fact sheet for this species:


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