Tayuva lilacina


Tayuva lilacina is a species of sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, shell-less marine gastropod mollusks in the family Discodorididae. A number of species descriptions are considered to be synonyms.

Distribution

This species was described from Honolulu, Oahu, Sandwich Islands. It has been reported widely in the Indo-Central Pacific and from the Pacific coast of Mexico and the Canary Islands. This wide distribution suggests that it is probably a species complex, but it has been considered to be an invasive species.

Description

The maximum recorded body length is 50 mm or up to 120 mm.

Ecology

Minimum recorded depth is 0.5 m. Maximum recorded depth is 63 m.
Tayuva lilacina feeds on Haliclona caerulea according to the in situ observations on the Pacific coast of Mexico. It is probably highly specialized on this sponge.