Nudi Pixel: Nudibranchs and Sea Slugs Identification with Photographs

Ceratosoma trilobatum

Photographed by: Dave Harasti

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Opisthobranchia
Order:	Nudibranchia
Suborder:	Doridina
Family:	Chromodorididae
Species:	Ceratosoma trilobatum

The angle from which this photo has been taken makes it a bit difficult to see if there is a sharp ridge in the neck region (which would make it Ceratosoma trilobatum) or no ridge (which would make it Ceratosoma gracillimum). However there is at least some indication of a ridge, so I am more inclined to call it Ceratosoma trilobatum.

A juvenile individual.

The most common colour form of this species in Queensland has a broad purple band at the mantle margin as in this photograph.

Note the continuous mantle brim (outlined in purple) from the head to the lateral processes in front of the gills.

Note the sharp ridge between the rhinophores and lateral lobes.

It is just possible to make out a continuous marginal brim from the rhinophores to the lateral processes from this photo, so I am more inclined to call it Ceratosoma trilobatum than Ceratosoma gracillimum.

This species is so variable in colour that it is impossible to pick out a ‘typical’ individual

Locality:

• Indonesia
  • Lembeh (19) Jan, Mar, Sep, Oct, Nov
  • Bali (7) Feb, Apr, May, Aug, Dec
  • Manado (5) Jan, Jul, Nov
  • Ambon (3) Oct
  • Wakatobi (3)
  • North Sulawesi (1) Apr
  • Alor (1) Mar
• Taiwan
  • Secret Garden (2)
  • Long Dong (2)
• Australia
  • Queensland (2) Nov
  • Ningaloo Reef (1) Feb
• Myanmar
  • Myanmar (1) May
• Malaysia
  • Mabul (1)
• Vietnam
  • Vietnam (1)
• Thailand
  • Khao Lak (1) Mar

 

Pictures of Ceratosoma trilobatum

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(50 photos)

Similar Species

Ceratosoma gracillimum can be distinguished externally by the complete absence of the mantle edge between the head and the well-developed lateral lobes on each side.

Ceratosoma trilobatum has the mantle edge, edged in purple, between the head and the lateral lobes. Both species have a similar range of colour variations, as does Ceratosoma tenue, but they differ from each other externally by the lack of a mantle edge in Ceratosoma gracillimum and the extra pair of small lateral lobes in Ceratosoma tenue.

« Ceratosoma tenue | Species List | Cerberilla sp. »

 

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