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Flameback

True to its name, this nudibranch stands out with fiery hues that resemble dancing flames across its back!

 

The flameback nudibranch, is a vividly colored sea slug found in shallow waters alongside the South American coast, from Peru to the southern tip of Chile. It can grow to be between 1.5 and 9 centimeters (0.6 to 3.5 inches) long. Its body, which can be grey-white to reddish, is adorned with cerata — finger-like appendages covering its back — in brown or even bright orange or red, tipped in white. Two long ear-like structures on its head, called rhinophores, help it detect chemicals in the water, guiding it toward prey or potential mates.

While they seem like one of a kind, flamebacks aren’t unique among nudibranchs for their striking looks. There are over 3,000 species of nudibranchs, and most flaunt flamboyant colors like these. These bright colors can serve as a warning to predators that the creature is toxic and should be left alone! But many nudibranchs have a dirty little secret: their toxins may be stolen! Some nudibranchs will eat toxic or stinging prey and have the ability to adapt these traits from their prey to defend the nudibranch from its own would-be predators.

 

 

Scientists still have much to learn about the flameback nudibranch, including its conservation status and what threats it might face. However, like all ocean animals, they depend on healthy, clean, abundant oceans to survive.

 

 

Protecting and restoring our oceans benefits wildlife around the world. By speaking up and working together, we can create real, measurable change for oceans and marine life. Learn more about Oceana’s campaigns to protect and restore marine biodiversity and abundance here.

 

 

  • Animal Diversity Web 
  • Araya JF and Valdes A. (2015) Shallow water heterobranch sea slugs (Gastropoda: Heterobranchia) from the Regio´n de Atacama, northern Chile. PeerJ 4:e1963; DOI 10.7717/peerj.1963 
  • Cheney KL, Cortesi F, How MJ, et al. (2014) Conspicuous visual signals do not coevolve with increased body size in marine sea slugs. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 27: 676-687. doi: 10.1111/jeb.12348 
  • Grández A, León AA, and Barahona SP. (2023) Peruvian nudibranchs (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Heterobranchia): an updated literature review-based list of species. Zookeys 1176: 117-163. DOI:10.3897/zookeys.1176.103167 
  • NOAA: A View From Inside the Kodiak Lab Aquarium – Post 6 
  • Proksch P. (1994) Defensive roles for secondary metabolites from marine sponges and sponge-feeding nudibranchs. Taxicum 32: 639-655.  
  • Wertz A, Rössler W, Obermayer M, et al. (2006) Functional neuroanatomy of the rhinophore of Aplysia punctata. Front Zool 3. https://doi.org/10.1186/1742-9994-3-6 

 

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