Triopha catalinae
{{Short description|Species of gastropod}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Speciesbox
| name= Sea clown triopha
| image = Triopha catalinae 1.jpg
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| taxon = Triopha catalinae
| authority = (Cooper, 1863)
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Triopha catalinae, commonly known as the sea clown triopha or sea clown, is a species of colorful sea slug called a nudibranch. Sea clowns are a shell-less marine, gastronomic mollusk in the taxonomic family Polyceridae.
The species' Latin name is named after Santa Catalina Island, California.
Distribution
This species lives in the Western Pacific from Alaska to Mexico, and has also been found in Japan and South Korea.Berhrens, D. W., 1980, Pacific Coast Nudibranchs: A guide to the opisthobranchs of the northeastern Pacific, Sea Challenger Books, Washington.[http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet.cfm?base=triocata Triopha catalinae (Cooper, 1863) ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016082724/http://seaslugforum.net/factsheet.cfm?base=triocata |date=16 October 2007 }} Sea Slug Forum, accessed 17 July 2009.
Life habits
This nudibranch grazes on bryozoans.
Image:Triopha catalinae.jpg|Triopha catalinae
Image:Triopha catalinae 3.jpg|Triopha catalinae on red coralline algae in a tide pool in Central California
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
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- {{Malacologia14radula}}
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Category:Molluscs of the Pacific Ocean
Category:Marine molluscs of Asia
Category:Molluscs of North America
Category:Molluscs of the United States
Category:Fauna of the Channel Islands of California