Bornella is a genus of sea slugs, specifically dendronotid nudibranchs in the family Bornellidae.
There has not been much research on this genus. Their biology is mostly unknown, except that they seem to feed exclusively on hydroids.
Distribution These nudibranchs occur in the Indo-West Pacific. In addition there is one species in the tropical eastern Pacific, and one species in the western Atlantic.Pola, M., Rudman, W. B. & Gosliner, T. M. (2009) Systematics and preliminary phylogeny of Bornellidae (Mollusca: Nudibranchia: Dendronotina) based on morphological characters with description of four new species. Zootaxa, 1975, 1-57Rudman, W.B., 2009 (Jan 27) A revision of the genus Bornella. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.
Description Their body is covered with cerata-like dorsal and lateral outgrowths, with finger-like branches. They have an attached cluster of gills. Their rounded head shows on each side of the mouth a tentacle, with tiny finger-like papillae. The sheath of the rhinophore stands high and resembles the dorsal processes. Feeds on hydroids.
The various species differ in their color pattern and their number of dorsal and lateral outgrowths and the number of branches on their rhinophore sheath.
Anatomy These nudibranchs are characterized by an unpaired oral gland.
In their genital system, the male duct is separate from the female duct.
Species Species within this genus include:Bouchet, P. (2015). Bornella Gray, 1850. In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2016-02-10. Bornella anguilla Johnson, 1984 Bornella calcarata Mörch, 1863 Bornella dotoides Pola, Rudman & Gosliner, 2009 Bornella excepta Bergh, 1884 Bornella hermanni Angas, 1864 (synonym : Bornella. japonica Baba, 1949 ) Bornella irvingi Edmunds and Preece, 1996 Bornella johnsonorum Pola, Rudman & Gosliner, 2009 Bornella pele Pola, Rudman & Gosliner, 2009 Bornella sarape Bertsch, 1980. Bornella simplex Eliot, 1904 Bornella stellifer (Adams and Reeve in Adams, 1848) (synonyms : Bornella hancockana Kelaart, 1859 , Bornella arborescens Pease, 1871 , Bornella caledonica Crosse, 1875 , Bornella marmorata Collingwood, 1881 ) Bornella valdae Pola, Rudman & Gosliner, 2009 Invalid species names include: B. semperi Crosse 1875 (nomen nudum)
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