Luisella engeli is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Samlidae. Ekimova I., Carmona L., Mikhlina AL., Grishina D., Stanovova M.V., Schepetov D.M., Hoover C., de Souza-Canal J., Kuznetsov K.O., Valdés A.; (2026). Neither "lumpers" nor "splitters": A global revision of Flabellinidae s.l. nudibranchs (Gastropoda: Heterobranchia: Nudibranchia). PLoS One 21(5): e0347759.
Subspecies A subspecies has been described from colder water in Brazil as Flabellina engeli lucianae Dacosta, Cunha, Simone & Schrödl, 2007.DaCosta S., Cunha C. M., Simone L. R. L. & Schrödl M. (2007). "Computer-based 3-dimensional reconstruction of major organ systems of a new aeolid nudibranch subspecies, Flabellina engeli lucianae, from Brazil (Gastropoda : Opisthobranchia)". Journal of Molluscan Studies 73(4): 339-353. .
Distribution This species was described from Curaçao. It has been reported from Tobago, Florida,Rudman W. B. (2001, October 8). Flabellina engeli Marcus & Marcus, 1968. Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Costa Rica, Colombia, Venezuela, Barbados, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Curaçao, St. Lucia, Martinique, Granada, Brazil and Panama.
Description
Body is elongate, narrowing posteriorly. Rhinophores are lamellate, club-shaped and with white bands. Cerata are arranged into clusters in two rows along the dorsum. Background color is translucent gray with thick white or yellow patches running between the cerata clusters, on the margin of the dorsum. A submarginal row of opaque white spots present along the sides of the body. Three white or yellow patches are on the head. Oral tentacles are long, translucent and white at the tips. Cerata are translucent with a brown or orange band about a third of the way down from the tip. The maximum recorded body length is 25 mm.Welch J. J. (2010). "The “Island Rule” and Deep-Sea Gastropods: Re-Examining the Evidence". PLoS ONE 5(1): e8776. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0008776.
Ecology One specimen was found on a living blade of sea grass in 1 m of water in Panama. Minimum recorded depth is 1 m. Maximum recorded depth is 2 m.
References This article incorporates Creative Commons (CC-BY-4.0) text from the referenceGoodheart J. A., Ellingson R. A., Vital X. G., Galvão Filho H. C., McCarthy J. B., Medrano S. M., Bhave V. J., García-Méndez K., Jiménez L. M., López G. & Hoover C. A. (2016). "Identification guide to the heterobranch sea slugs (Mollusca: Gastropoda) from Bocas del Toro, Panama". Marine Biodiversity Records 9(1): 56.