Sea lemon is a loosely applied common name for a group of medium-sized to large shell-less colorful sea slugs or nudibranchs, specifically dorid nudibranchs in the taxonomic family Dorididae and other closely related families. These are marine gastropod mollusks.
The Monterey sea lemon is Doris montereyensis and the mottled pale sea lemon is Diaulula lentiginosa.
The common name sea lemon probably comes from these animal's visual similarity to a lemon based on such qualities as the roughened skin, the oval form when seen from above, and the common but not inevitable orange to pale yellow coloration.
Description These dorid nudibranchs can be large (up to 20 cm), rather flattened, and oval in shape when seen from above. They have two hornlike projections (rhinophores) on the head, and a rosette-like tuft of gills on the back of the animal. The mantle is sometimes sprinkled with black dots, and it is covered in small bumps, which are called tubercles.
Life habits Sea lemons feed on sponges. They lay ribbons of white or yellow eggs. Taxonomically the Dorididae is a family of several genera, the dorids named after the mythological ancient Greek sea nymph Doris. (See Ovidius, Metamorphoses 2.6)
Genera Genera within the family Dorididae include:Bouchet, P. (2010). Dorididae Rafinesque, 1815. In: MolluscaBase (2016). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2016-12-04. Aphelodoris (Bergh, 1879) Artachaea Bergh, 1881 Conualevia Collier & Farmer, 1964 Doriopsis Bergh, 1889 Doris Linnaeus, 1758
Goslineria Valdés, 2001 Homoiodoris Bergh, 1881: nomen dubium Pharodoris Valdés, 2001 Genera brought into synonymy Anisodoris Bergh, 1898 : synonym of Diaulula (Discodorididae) Anoplodoris P. Fischer, 1883 : synonym of Doris Linnaeus, 1758 Aporodoris Ihering, 1886 [synonym of Taringa in family Discodorididae] Archidoris Bergh, 1878 : synonym of Doris Linnaeus, 1758 Austrodoris Odhner, 1926 : synonym of Doris Linnaeus, 1758 Ctenodoris Eliot, 1907 : synonym of Doris Linnaeus, 1758 Doridigitata d'Orbigny, 1839: synonym of Doris Linnaeus, 1758 Doriopsis Bergh, 1889: synonym of Doris Linnaeus, 1758 Doriorbis Kay & Young, 1969 :synonym of Doris Linnaeus, 1758 Etidoris Ihering, 1886 a: synonym of Thordisa Bergh, 1877 Guyonia Risbec, 1928 :synonym of Doris Linnaeus, 1758 Neodoris Baba, 1938 : synonym of Doris Linnaeus, 1758 Praegliscita Burn, 1957 : synonym of Doris Linnaeus, 1758 Rhabdochila P. Fischer, 1883: synonym of Rostanga Bergh, 1879 Siraius Marcus, 1955 : synonym of Doris Linnaeus, 1758 Staurodoris Bergh, 1878: synonym of Doris Linnaeus, 1758
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