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Domino nudibranch
Phyllidiella zeylanica
Valid name (WoRMS, AphiaID 221070, checked 2026-10-31).
- English
- Domino nudibranch
- Scientific
- Phyllidiella zeylanica
- Dhivehi
- No recorded Dhivehi name
- Group
- Sea slugs
- Maximum size
- Up to about 6 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=9); iNaturalist research-grade observations in the Maldives (n=33, 19 observers).
Sources
- sealifebase.se /summary/Phyllidiella-zeylanica.html
- marinespecies.org /aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=221070
- inaturalist.org /taxa/51171
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Babosa_de_mar_(Phyllidiella_zeylanica),_Zanzíbar,_Tanzania,
Dhivehi name source: No species-level Dhivehi name found in Dhivehi Wikipedia, SeaLifeBase (country: Maldives) or MRS/MMRI invertebrate publications.