Description

 Flabellina pellucida has a narrow elongate body up to 4 cm in length. It is translucent white in colour with bright red digestive glands in the numerous cerata on its dorsal surface. The cerata are arranged in distinct clusters, protruding from a common stalk (peduncle). Long and evenly sized, the cerata give a shaggy appearance. The ceratal tips are capped with white pigment unlike other species where subapical rings are present ( see Coryphella browni ). White pigments also cover major parts of the rhinophores and oral tentacles, as well as the tail tip. The head is narrower than the tail, and bares a pair of finely wrinkled rhinophores nearly twice the length of the oral tentacles. The anus is between the first and second ceratal group.This is an uncommon species (Picton and Morrow, 1994) and can be confused with other Coryphella species except that Flabellina pellucida have white capped ceratal tips not subapical rings. Spawning occurs in spring and early summer, where the thready spawn is laid in a wavy spiral amongst this species food, commonly Eudendrium arbusculum. Flabellina pelludica may feed on other Eudendrium sp. and occasionally Tubularia sp. The nematocysts (defensive stinging cells) are transferred, unharmed from the hydriod prey, through the digestive gland to the terminal cnidosacs in the tips of the cerata. The nematocysts are used by Flabellina pelludica as defense against predators.