Cerberilla affinis is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch, a marine heterobranch mollusc in the family Aeolidiidae.Bouchet, P. (2015). Cerberilla affinis. In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2015-11-09 It was described as a variety by Bergh, 1888 but elevated to species status by Burn, 1966.Burn R (1966) Descriptions of Australian Eolidacea (Mollusca: Opisthobranchia) 4. The genera Pleurolidia, Fiona, Learchis and Cerberilla from Lord Howe Island. J Malac Soc of Aust 10: 21–34.
Distribution This species was described from Indonesia. It has been reported from localities in the Central Indo-Pacific region to Lord Howe Island, the eastern Australian mainland and New Caledonia and is probably widespread in the West Pacific.Rudman, W.B., 1999 (November 25) Cerberilla affinis Bergh, 1888. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.
Description All Cerberilla species have a broad foot and the cerata are long and numerous, arranged in transverse rows across the body. In this species the long oral tentacles have bands of dark blue and there is a narrow band of black on each of the cerata. Two species from the Indian Ocean, Cerberilla africana Eliot, 1903 (East Africa) and Cerberilla moebii (Bergh, 1888) - Mauritius are similar in colour.
Ecology Species of Cerberilla live on and in sandy substrates where they burrow beneath the surface and feed on burrowing sea anemones.
References
Marshall, J.G. & Willan, R.C. 1999. Nudibranchs of Heron Island, Great Barrier Reef. Leiden : Backhuys 257 pp.