
Blackgill Tenellia
Phestilla melanobrachia
- Usual depth5–20 m
- Water temperature18–30 °C
- Best monthsApril, May, and August
- How commonRare
Photo credit: (c) Dan Schofield, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Dan Schofield · CC BY · iNaturalist
About this species
Phestilla melanobrachia is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Trinchesiidae.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Phestilla melanobrachia”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
Loading the map
Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 27 records
- February: 48 records
- March: 44 records
- April: 93 records
- May: 85 records
- June: 41 records
- July: 58 records
- August: 70 records
- September: 63 records
- October: 37 records
- November: 31 records
- December: 35 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 5–20 m · Deepest record: 28 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 18–30 °C
Photos

(c) Robin White, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Jakkarin Burananit, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Dan Schofield, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Dan Schofield, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Georgina Jones, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist 
(c) Georgina Jones, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist 
(c) Debra Baker, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
Names and classification
- English
- Blackgill Tenellia, Cup Coral Nudibranch
Names in 2 more languages
- Japanese
- イボヤギミノウミウシ
- Simplified Chinese
- 黑枝背鰓海蛞蝓, 黑枝背鰓海蛞蝓(黑枝羽螅海蛞蝓)
Other scientific names: Tenellia melanobrachia
Similar species
drab aeolidPhestilla sibogae

Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 205 open-data records from 1874 to 2026.
- Species data updated October 26, 2026.
Log what you see on your next dive
The free DiveHive diver app keeps your logbook with every sighting and shows what lives at the site you dive next.