About Glossodoris pallida (Rüppell & Leuckart, 1830)
Glossodoris pallida (Rüppell & Leuckart, 1830) is a nudibranch species that is completely semi-translucent white, with a thin yellow margin along its mantle. It has opaque white patches on the upper part of its mantle, and both its gills and rhinophores are also white. This species was first described from the Red Sea. It occurs in the tropical Indian Ocean, including along the African coast and around Madagascar. In the central Indo-Pacific Ocean, it is apparently replaced by the species Glossodoris buko. Like many other nudibranchs, this species feeds on sponges. It has specifically been observed feeding on grey-black sponges belonging to the genus Cacospongia. Like other chromodorid nudibranchs, Glossodoris pallida stores chemicals it obtains from the sponges it eats inside its body. These chemicals are unpalatable to fish and other animals, making this nudibranch much less likely to be eaten by predators.
