Greilada elegans - Marine Life Encyclopedia

Greilada elegans Bergh, 1894

Greilada elegans

Description: This distinctive species is orange in colour with brilliant blue iridescent spots. The gills are robust with iridescent blue-green lines along their ribs. The head may bear up to 22 finger-like processes. The maximum recorded length for this species is 48mm.

Habitat: G. elegans feeds preferentially on the Bryozoan species Bugula turbinata but has also been reported to feed on other species of Bugula.

Distribution: Records of this species are from Kilkieran Bay, Co Galway; Sheep Haven, Co Donegal; Skomer Island, Pembrokeshire; Lundy, South Cornwall and the Mediterranean.

Similar Species: The spectacular colour of this nudibranch readily distinguishes it from any other in the British Isles.

Key Identification Features:

Orange coloration with large iridescent blue spots.
Rhinophores and gills without sheaths or accessory processes.

Distribution Map: NBN map : National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.

WoRMS: Species record : World Register of Marine Species.

iNaturalist: Species account : iNaturalist World Species Observations database

Picton, B.E. & Morrow, C.C. (2016). Greilada elegans Bergh, 1894. [In] Encyclopedia of Marine Life of Britain and Ireland.
https://www.habitas.org.uk/marinelife/species.asp?item=W13670 Accessed on 2025-04-22

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