Chromodoris orientalis is a species of colourful sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Chromodorididae. Sea slugs are generally very beautifully colored organisms with intense patterns and ranging in sizes. The Chromodoris orientalis specifically is a white sea slug with black spots in no particular pattern with a yellow, orange, or brown in color ring around its whole body and on its gills. There is much discussion on where it is found, what it eats, how it defends itself without a shell, and its reproduction methods. This is all sought after information because there is not much known about these animals.
A carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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starts withChromodoris orientalis is translucent white with oval black spots on the mantle. The edge of the mantle has a narrow orange border and the rhinophore clubs and outer gill surfaces are orange. The rhinophores are scent and taste receptors that protrude on the front of the sea slug, the gills protrude on the opposite end from the rinophores. They, like other sea slugs, also have a foot which is their main source of locomotion, they use this muscular foot to crawl around on different surfaces in the ocean. Their mantle is thick and covers their foot and is used as a protection, as it secretes its toxins for chemical defense. It is unsure the exact size and weight these animals can grow to be.
This species has been reported from Japan, Hong Kong and Korea.
Chromodoris orientalis have various feeding methods and are generally carnivorous. They feed on sponges, hydroids, bryozoans, entoprocts, and ascidians. They use their lack of shell to be able to change size and shape in order to fit into a higher multitude of places to prey on their food.
Chromodoris orientalis lay eggs in "egg ribbons" that are attached along one edge. These "egg ribbons" are generally on algae, but not impossible to be laid on rocks or other surfaces. There have been minimal studies on these eggs being laid other places besides algae. They reproduce sexually. Egg size was studied among them and three others in the Chromodoris genus, and it was found that eggs size varied among species but did not change within species depending on the parental body length. The number of egg whorls also varied depending on the species. They are simultaneous hermaphrodites (as are all animals in the order Nudibranchia), meaning they possess both male and female reproductive organ at the same time. Because they are simultaneous hermaphrodites, when they mate they dart their penises at one another and the first to penetrate becomes the dominant male. Their life cycle consists of eggs laid in whorls, they then hatch to become vestigial veliger larvae until they grow into adults.
