No photo available
Phyllidia nudibranch (no English common name)
Phyllidia exquisita
Valid name (WoRMS, AphiaID 536631, checked 2026-10-31).
- English
- Phyllidia nudibranch (no English common name)
- Scientific
- Phyllidia exquisita
- Dhivehi
- No recorded Dhivehi name
- Group
- Sea slugs
- Maximum size
- Up to about 3 cm (total length)
- Depth and habitat
- Sea floor (benthic)
- IUCN status
- NE · Not EvaluatedNot Evaluated (NE)
Description
A phyllidiid nudibranch: a firm, oval slug with a tough, knobbly back and its gills hidden underneath. Phyllidiids feed on sponges and carry distasteful chemicals taken from them, so they crawl openly by day. Several species look alike and are told apart by the pattern of ridges, knobs and colour.
In the Maldives
Recorded from the Maldives: museum specimens (n=3); iNaturalist research-grade observations in the Maldives (n=9, 3 observers); literature records via OBIS.
Sources
- sealifebase.se /summary/Phyllidia-exquisita.html
- marinespecies.org /aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=536631
- inaturalist.org /taxa/467978
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Phyllidia-exquisita.jpg
Dhivehi name source: No species-level Dhivehi name found in Dhivehi Wikipedia, SeaLifeBase (country: Maldives) or MRS/MMRI invertebrate publications.