Edmundsella pedata is one of the three species of nudibranchs belonging to the phylum Mollusca, class Gastropoda, order Nudibranchia, family Flabellinidae and genus Edmundsella. We will find specimens of this species in the waters of the eastern Atlantic Ocean, as well as in the whole Mediterranean Sea. We will find this species on vertical rocky walls with low light, and generally shallow (rarely deeper than 25-30 meters).
The body of Edmundsella pedata is elongated and usually has a length between 1 and 1.5 cm (although specimens up to 4 cm have been reported). The coloration is semi-transparent pink. In the cephalic region we find two oral tentacles that have whitish colored ends, behind which are the rhinophores, which are similar in length to the oral tentacles, are smooth and also have whitish colored ends. At the base of the rhinophores are located the eyes, which are difficult to observe due to their small size, although they are black in color. Behind the cephalic region of Edmundsella pedata, we find on the dorsal part of its body the cerata, which in this species are grouped forming 6 or 7 groups on each side of the body. Within the cerata, we will observe the digestive gland whose color can be light brown, dark brown, orange or reddish, with whitish ends.
Edmundsella pedata feeds on certain hydrozoans, especially those of the genera Abietinaria, Aglaophenia or Eudendrium. On these same species on which it feeds, during the reproductive season it lays its clutches, forming thin whitish coiled cords. It is a hermaphrodite species with cross-fertilization.
It can be confused with Flabellina affinis and Paraflabellina ischitana since the chromatic pattern is practically identical. The only feature that will allow us to differentiate Edmundsella pedata from these other two species are the rhinophores, totally smooth in the case of Edmundsella pedata, and lamellated in the case of the other species.
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