Siboga Cuthona

Cuthona sibogae is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Tergipedidae. It is widespread throughout the tropical waters of the Indo-West Pacific region. This species is small, with a maximum size of 35 mm length.

Description

The cerata are arranged in about eight fan-like clusters on each side of the body. The cerata are cylindrical, tapering at the tip to a rounded point. The general body colouration is pale lilac purple. The oral tentacles and the upper half of the slender smooth rhinophores are a reddish purple. The cerata are similar in colour to the body except for a bright golden yellow tip and a band just below the yellow tip which ranges from deep reddish purple to deep purple. Many of the smaller outer cerata in each row are golden yellow with nno purplish basal region. It grows to 35 mm in length. It is usually found associated with its food, an orange hydroid, Sertularella quadridens.

Distribution and habitat

East Africa to the Marshall Islands, Fiji and Japan. It is usually on shallow reefs and on or nearby hydroids, in a depth range of 5-15 meters.