About Trapania maculata Haefelfinger, 1960
This species is a goniodorid nudibranch, with the scientific name Trapania maculata Haefelfinger, 1960. Its body is translucent white with distinct yellow markings. The rhinophores, gills, and body processes are entirely covered in yellow pigment, and a triangular yellow patch sits in the center of its back. A wide yellow stripe runs along the entire length of its tail, starting from behind the gills and extending to the tail tip. Specimens found in the Mediterranean Sea have more extensive yellow colouring, with additional yellow patches on the head and the sides of the body. This species was first formally described from specimens collected at Villefranche-sur-Mer in the Mediterranean Sea. Its recorded distribution ranges from the Aegean Sea coast of Turkey west to the Strait of Gibraltar. It has also been reported from Atlantic coasts, reaching as far north as southwest England and Wales in the United Kingdom. In its ecology, Trapania maculata feeds on Entoprocta belonging to the genus Loxosomella. These Entoprocta commonly grow on the sponges Dysidea and Sarcotragus.
