Species profile
Hilton's Aeolid
Phidiana hiltoni
Sea slugs/nudibranchs5.0K iNat observations
At a glance
Hilton's Aeolid (Phidiana hiltoni) is a sea slug present across the CatchRules coverage area but without species-specific bag, size, or season rules tracked in our regulatory dataset.
Confirmed by 4,974 research-grade iNaturalist observations, concentrated in California.
Notable details
- Steals stinging cells from prey animals and redeploys them in its cerata for defense.
- The finger-like cerata on its back act as gills and weapons loaded with stolen nematocysts.
- Feeds primarily on hydroids, small colonial animals closely related to jellyfish.
- Like all adult nudibranchs, it has completely lost the protective shell of its ancestors.
- Found in rocky intertidal and subtidal zones along the California coast.
Where Hilton's Aeolid are seen
Background
Phidiana hiltoni is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch, a shell-less marine gastropod mollusk in the family Facelinidae....
Background excerpt adapted from Wikipedia's Hilton's Aeolid article (CC BY-SA). Visit Wikipedia for the full entry.
Other sea slugs/nudibranchs on CatchRules
Photo credit: iNaturalist / Wikipedia. Identification reference only — verify regulations with the issuing wildlife agency before retaining a catch.