Polycladida Pseudoceros scriptus Newman & Cannon 1998

Pseudoceros scriptus Newman & Cannon 1998

This species has been observed on Reunion, Mayotte and Madagascar Islands

Order : Polycladida
Suborder : Cotylea
Superfamily : Pseudocerotoidea
Family : Pseudocerotidae
Distribution : Indo West Pacific
Maximal size : 30 mm
Abundance :

Species characteristics :

Background colour cream-yellow or bluish with irregular black markings, large patches or spot, on either side of the midline

Marginal band yellow to orange, varying in width

Showing species characteristics...

Photo Florence Trentin
Reunion, Les kiosques, Saint Leu, 10 m, 17 October 2007

Remarks :

Specimen from Kenya (nudipixel) and Red Sea (Newman, 2003) have also this caracteristic pattern with two median lines and patches towards the margin....a West Indian Ocean form????

Bibliographic data :

In some specimens there is a fine yellow median line.
   Ventrally cream and darker marginally, margin wide orange
   Pattern of black lines, patches and spots variable
   Habitat : Found on the reef slope
   Ethymology : scriptus = script for its pattern which resembles hand written

References :

Discover life : Pseudoceros scriptus
Marine flatworms of the world : Pseudoceros scriptus
Nudipixel : Pseudoceros scriptus

Publications :

Newman, L.J. & Cannon, L.R.G. (1998). Pseudoceros (Platyhelminthes, Polycladida) from the Indo-Pacific with twelve new species from Australia and Papua New Guinea. The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 46: 293–323
Newman, L.J. & Cannon, L.R.G. (2003). Marine Flatworms: the world of Polyclads. CSIRO Publishing : Melbourne 112

Other photos of Pseudoceros scriptus :

Yvon Gildas

Mayotte, Longoni Harbourg, patate de la cardinale, 12 m, 26 July 2009, size : 30 mm

Background colour bluish with irregular black markings