Rhinophore

Rhino- means nose from Ancient Greek ῥίς rhis and from its genitive ῥινός rhinos.

Rhinophores are scent or taste receptors, also known as chemosensory organs situated on the dorsal surface of the head.

The fine structure and hairs of the rhinophore provide a large surface area so that chemical detection is maximized.

[2] This allows the nudibranchs to stay close to their food source (for example species of sponges) and to find mates.

[1] In A. californica, the oral tentacles, which are situated in a more ventral position, are possibly involved in contact chemoreception and mechanoreception.

A pair of rhinophores on the head of Goniobranchus coi
Right rhinophore of Acanthodoris pilosa
Rhinophores of Aplysia californica
A low-power scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrograph showing the rhinophore tip of Aplysia californica
Scale bar is 300 μm.
rg - rhinophore groove
tip - rhinophore tip.
A medium-power SEM image showing the cilia-bearing epithelium within the rhinophore groove
Scale bar is 100 μm.
f - folds
A high-power SEM image showing cilia extending from a common pore: Also evident are pores lacking obvious bunched cilia.
Scale bar is 10 μm.
ci - numerous long cilia