Austraeolis ornata (Angas, 1864)

Images taken at Chowder Bay, NSW, Australia

Austraeolis ornata have an elongate body, translucent orange in colour with a translucent white mantle band. There are blue white specks down the body. The body has conical, curved shaped cerata in clusters. The colour is banded brown with translucent white and blue specks.

The rhinophores are annulate, orange near the base and white or blue towards the tips. The oral tentacles are long and conical and carry the colour of the head and body, orange with white or blue specks.

The ceratal digestive gland ranges in colour from a pale yellow to a dark brown. When disturbed, larger animals in particular, will bristle their cerata, and shake them about.

Given the family they would be expected to feed on hydroids however, they have been observed feeding on other aeolids and even jellyfish.