(Alder & Hancock, 1844)
Description:
This delicate species reaches 15 mm in length; the body is translucent, with opaque white eggs showing through the epidermis in mature individuals. The cerata are arranged in up to six (usually five) groups. A thin white band encircles each ceras below the tip. The ceratal contents are usually bright red but may range through various shades of red-brown to rich grass-green (C. gracilis-green). The oral tentacles, rhinophores and metapodium are all streaked with superficial white pigment.
Habitat:
C. gracilis has been seen feeding uponEudendrium ramosum.
Distribution:
Reliable reports have come from the British Isles, the Atlantic coast of France, Denmark, Faeroes, Iceland, SW Netherlands and along the eastern American coast from Newfoundland and Nova Scotia to New England and Cape Cod (Distr. Co. gracilis).