Hermissenda crassicornis Information & Hermissenda crassicornis Links at HealthHaven.com

Hermissenda crassicornis
	A pair of Hermissenda crassicornis in a Central California tide pool
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia;
Phylum:	Mollusca;
Class:	Gastropoda;
(unranked):	clade Nudipleura; subclade Nudibranchia; clade Dexiarchia; clade Cladobranchia; subclade Aeolidida;
Superfamily:	Aeolidioidea;
Family:	Glaucidae;
Genus:	Hermissenda;
Species:	H. crassicornis;
Binomial name
	Hermissenda crassicornis; Eschscholtz, 1831

Hermissenda crassicornis is a species of small, brightly-colored, sea slug or nudibranch, a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusk in the family Glaucidae.

This species is also commonly known as the "opalescent sea slug."

Five individuals of Hermisssenda crassicornis in a Central California tidepool

[edit] Distribution

This nudibranch lives from Kodiak Island, Alaska, to Punta Eugenia, Mexico.

The species has also been observed in Bahia de los Angeles, Gulf of California, and in Japan^[1].

[edit] Habitat

It can be found in various habitats, including the intertidal zone of rocky shores, but also in bays and estuaries.

[edit] Description

The species grows to be about 50 mm, or about 2 inches. The color of this nudibranch varies from one locality to another, but it is always easily recognizable by the orange stripe along its back.

[edit] Life habits

This nudibranch feeds on hydroids and other marine organisms such as ascidians and sea anemones. It sometimes attacks other nudibranchs, and will eat smaller specimens of its own species.