Mariaglaja tsurugensis (Baba & Abe, 1959)

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This species has been observed on Madagascar Island


Order : Cephalaspidea
Superfamily : Philinoidea
Family : Aglajidae
Distribution : Indo West Pacific
Maximal size : 20 mm
Abundance :

Species characteristics :

Color highly variable, usually black with scattered or concentrated opaque white pigment and orange spots that may be surrounded by opaque white, forming a floral pattern

Mantle shield bifurcated behind, the left lobe long and tapering, the right one shorter and rounded

Parapodial lobes without a coloured border

Mariaglaja tsurugensis
Showing species characteristics...

Photo Alain-Benoît Rassat
Madagascar, Nosy bé, size : 7 to 15 mm

Remarks :

Identification confirmed by Marli Wakeling
    Synonymous : (according Worms)
               - Chelidonura babai Gosliner, 1988                - Chelidonura tsurugensis Baba & Abe, 1959
               - Chelidonura sandrana Rudman, 1973          - Mariaglaja sandrana (Rudman, 1973)

Bibliographic data :

Some specimen have a really different pattern, for example : General body color a glossy purple black. The whole upper surface exept the sole is covered with a varying number of yellow or golden-yellow spots, very irregular in size and in arrangement
    Fedds on Acoel flatworms

References :

Bill Rudman Seaslug site : Sea Slug Forum : Chelidonura sandrana

Publications :

Baba K. & Abe T. (1959). The genus Chelidonura and a new species, C. tsurugensis , from Japan. Publications of the Seto Marine Biological Laboratory. 7(2): 279-280.
    Rudman, W.B. (1973) On some species of Chelidonura (Opisthobranchia: Aglajidae) from Zanzibar and Fiji. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 52 : 201-215.
    Zamora-Silva A. & Malaquias M.A.E. (2017). Molecular phylogeny of the Aglajidae head-shield sea slugs (Heterobranchia: Cephalaspidea): new evolutionary lineages revealed and proposal of a new classification. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.

Other photos of Mariaglaja tsurugensis :

 

 

Alain Benoît Rassat

Madagascar, Nosy bé, size : 7 to 15 mm

 

All theses photos are taken in a large population of this species observed during the same dive...

A good illustration of the polymorphisme in this species...

 

 

 

Alain Benoît Rassat

Madagascar, Nosy bé, size : 7 to 15 mm

 

All theses photos are taken in a large population of this species observed during the same dive...

A good illustration of the polymorphisme in this species...

 

 

 

Alain Benoît Rassat

Madagascar, Nosy bé, size : 7 to 15 mm

All theses photos are taken in a large population of this species observed during the same dive...

A good illustration of the polymorphisme in this species...

Some specimen have a really different pattern, for example : General body color a glossy purple black. The whole apper surface exept the sole is covered with a varying number of yellow or golden-yellow spots, very irregular in size and in arrangement

 

Alain Benoît Rassat

Madagascar, Nosy bé, size : 7 to 15 mm

All theses photos are taken in a large population of this species observed during the same dive...

A good illustration of the polymorphisme in this species...

Some specimen have a really different pattern, for example : General body color a glossy purple black. The whole apper surface exept the sole is covered with a varying number of yellow or golden-yellow spots, very irregular in size and in arrangement

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