Mediterranean Violet Aeolid

Flabellina affinis

''Flabellina affinis'' is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Flabellinidae.
,Mediterranean Violet Aeolid (Flabellina affinis) Always a welcome sight in the Mediterranean dives! Flabellina affinis,Geotagged,Mediterranean Violet Aeolid,Spain,Summer

Appearance

The species can grow to a length of 50 mm. It feeds primarily on species of ''Eudendrium'', a very common hydroid genus in the Mediterranean Sea.

''Flabellina affinis'' is often confused with ''Flabellina ischitana'', but can be distinguished as follows:

⤷ ''Flabellina affinis'': the digestive gland is not visible as the area beneath the subapical white ring is opaque
⤷ ''Flabellina ischitana'': the ceratal surface has not purple-violet colouration and is translucent
Mediterranean Violet Aeolid – Flabellina affinis  Flabellina affinis,Geotagged,Mediterranean Violet Aeolid,Spain,Spring

Distribution

This species is found in depths to 50 m in European waters along Portugal and Spain, in the Mediterraneran Sea along Greece, in the Atlantic Ocean from Portugal to Ghana and along the Canaries

References:

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Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionMollusca
ClassGastropoda
OrderNudibranchia
FamilyFlabellinidae
GenusFlabellina
SpeciesF. affinis
Photographed in
Spain