Thorunna africana is a small species of sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a shell-less marine gastropod mollusk in the family Chromodorididae.[2]

Thorunna africana
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Order: Nudibranchia
Family: Chromodorididae
Genus: Thorunna
Species:
T. africana
Binomial name
Thorunna africana
Rudman, 1984[1]

Distribution

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This species was described from the Sudanese Red Sea and Tanzania with the type locality being Dar Es Salaam.[1] It has been reported from Madagascar[3] and the Andaman Islands.[4]

Description

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This is a small nudibranch, growing to 25 mm (0.98 in). It is white in colour with a yellow, ruffled, margin to the mantle. The gills and rhinophores are white with bright red lines.

Ecology

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Thorunna africana feeds on sponges of the genus Dysidea.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b Rudman, W.B. (1984). The Chromodorididae (Opisthobranchia: Mollusca) of the Indo-West Pacific: a review of the genera. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 81(2): 115-273, page 220.
  2. ^ MolluscaBase (2018). Thorunna africana Rudman, 1984. Accessed on 2018-12-23.
  3. ^ a b Bidgrain, P. Thorunna africana South-west Indian Ocean Seaslug site, accessed 2018-12-23.
  4. ^ Rudman, W.B., 1998 (November 11) Thorunna africana Rudman, 1984. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.