Nudibranch

Nudibranch is an order within the subclass Opisthobranchia, which belongs to the class Gastropoda in the Phylum Mollusca. This colorful sea slug is a jelly-bodied snail without a shell. Nudibranch comes from New Latin "Nudibranchia". The latin word nudus, means naked, and the Greek word "branchia" means gills. Thus, Nudibranche translates to "naked gills", which is appropriate since the Nudibranch breathes through a branchial plume on its back rather than using gills. On its back, are three brightly colored sets of tentacles called cereta. The hermaphroditic Nudibranch has cephalic tentacles, which are sensitive to touch, taste, and smell (club shaped rhinophores detect the odors).