Diamondback tritonia
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SPECIES
Tritonia festiva

The diamondback tritonia (Tritonia festiva ) is a species of nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Tritoniidae. It is an opportunistic predator of other marine invertebrates.

Distribution

Geography

The diamondback tritonia inhabits the waters of the Pacific Ocean. Sightings have been most prevalent on the west coast of North America and have been reported as far north as Alaska. The species has also been identified along the coast of Japan and both North and South Korea.

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The diamondback tritonia is a benthic organism as the sea floor is where this species finds its prey. Their flattened body plan allows for maneuverability into small spaces common in rocky intertidal areas.

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Habits and Lifestyle

Diet and Nutrition

The diamondback tritonia preys on soft corals including sea pens, sea pansies, and sea whips. They feed on the young of these organisms as they are smaller and easier to consume. More specifically, the diamondback tritonia is the only known predator to the polyps of Discophyton rudyi, which are small, colony-forming soft corals found on the rocky shores of the Northeast Pacific Ocean. Diamondback tritonias feed on these varying prey by using their digitate frontal veil to locate and attack them before the polyps can contract into a state of protection.

Population

References

1. Diamondback tritonia Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamondback_tritonia

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