Spanish dancer

Hexabranchus sanguineus

The Spanish dancer, scientific name ''Hexabranchus sanguineus'' , is a dorid nudibranch, a very large and colorful sea slug, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Hexabranchidae.
Spanish Dancer This Spanish Dancer - Hexabranchus sanguineus is a very large Nudibranch, around 30 cm. Usually, Nudibranch are slow crawlers on the sea bottom but when disturbed they can swim in the water column and when do that, the mantle opens up making it look like the skirt of flamenco dancer, hence its name. A video of a similar Spanish Dancer swimming can be seen in this video of me with a Spanish Dancer in Philippines : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chfHWj7XkRk This was seen in very deep waters of around 40 meters during a dive in Mozambique. Geotagged,Hexabranchus sanguineus,Ponta do Ouro,South Africa,Spanish dancer,Summer

Appearance

This species of very large, strong-swimming nudibranch is one of the largest of all nudibranchs: specimens of well over 40 cm in length have been reported.

The species name, ''sanguineus'', refers to its bright red coloration, but a yellow variant also exists.

This nudibranch has two very different modes of locomotion: crawling and swimming. When it crawls, the wide edges of the mantle are rolled up close to the body. When the animal swims however, the red parapodia unfurl, and are whirled through the water in a spectacular undulating motion, propelling the animal forwards.

The animal was given the common name "Spanish dancer" because the whirling swimming movement, and the red color of the mantle, are reminiscent of the skirt movements of a flamenco dancer.

The Emperor shrimp, ''Periclimenes imperator'', is a commensal that is commonly found living on ''Hexabranchus sanguineus''.
Spanish dancer eggs - Hexabranchus sanguineus Fall,Geotagged,Hexabranchus sanguineus,Indonesia,Spanish dancer

Distribution

This species is found throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific Ocean and the Red Sea.

References:

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Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionMollusca
ClassGastropoda
OrderNudibranchia
FamilyHexabranchidae
GenusHexabranchus
SpeciesH. sanguineus
Photographed in
Egypt
Indonesia
Mozambique
Philippines
South Africa