Kalinga ornata
Species of gastropod
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kalinga ornata is a species of large, colourful nudibranch in the family Polyceridae. It is the only species in the genus Kalinga, which is the type genus of the subfamily Kalinginae.[2]
| Kalinga ornata | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Order: | Nudibranchia |
| Family: | Polyceridae |
| Genus: | Kalinga |
| Species: | K. ornata |
| Binomial name | |
| Kalinga ornata | |
Distribution
Kalinga ornata resides in the deep coastal waters of the Western Indo-Pacific (though it has also been reported from Hawaii).[3][4] While it occasionally washes up in shallow regions, live individuals have been observed by divers at a depth of 6 m,[5] they have been trawled from depths of 76 m,[6] and observed by an ROV at a depth of 182 m.[4]
Description
Kalinga ornata is nocturnal, reaching sizes of at least 130 mm, and prefers sandy or silty substrate.[3][5][7] It has been shown to feed on brittle stars, a completely unique diet for a nudibranch.[8]
