) Phyllaplysia cf. padinae Williams & Gosliner, 1973
Phyllaplysia cf. padinae     Williams & Gosliner, 1973

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This species has been observed on Réunion Island


Order : Anaspidea
Superfamily : Aplysioidea
Family : Aplysiidae
Distribution : Reunion and ...
Maximal size : 20 mm
Abundance :


Species characteristics :

It was described as being olive-green to brownish green with random white spotting on the dorsal surface

Some individuals at scattered brown mottling, and some had a few variably shaped papillae, some single, some with multiple tips

No fine longitudinal lines.

The rhinophores are short with noticeably enlarged tips

phyllaplysia cf padinae
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Photo Philibert Bidgrain
Reunion, Etang salé, 17 November 2006, size : 20 mm

Remarks :

This species looks like Phyllaplysia padinae but according Terry Gosliner " I am pretty sure your animals are not Phyllaplysia padinae, although there is some resemblance.  They are similar to ones I have found in the Philippines on algae.  I also think they are similar to Phyllaplysia edmundsi described by Bebbington from Tanzania.  I would be happy to look at some specimens to try to get a definitive answer for you "
    Synonymous : (according Worms)
           - No other name

Bibliographic data :

The head has a pair of labial palps as well as cephalic tentacles and rhinophores
    The shell was fragile and only became apparent when light was reflected from it whilst the specimen was under the dissecting microscope.
    It was rewported to feed by scraping over the blade of the brown algae Padina durvillae ingesting the diatom layer and the outer layer of the algae
    Williams & Gosliner also describe its characteristic crawling behaviour which consists of extending the anterior end forward, then anchoring it while the mid region is raised from the ground, pulling the posterior third forward. Then the posterior section is anchored while the anterior section is pushed forward
    Etymology : Williams & Gosliner (1973) named P. padinae after Padina durvillaei, the substrate they most commonly observed the slug on, and on which P. padinae feeds

References :

Bill Rudman Seaslug site : Phyllaplysia padinae
    Med Slug: Phyllaplysia padinae

Publications :

Williams G.C. & Gosliner T.M. 1973. A new species of Anaspidean Opisthobranch from the Gulf of California. The Veliger , 16 (2): 216-232
    Aplysiid species from East Africa with notes on the Indian Ocean Aplysiomorpha (Gastropoda: Opistobranchia) Zool. J. Linn. Soc., 54: 63-99. January 1974

Other photos of Phyllaplysia cf. padinae :


Philibert Bidgrain

Reunion, Etang salé, 17 November 2006, size : 20 mm

 

 

Mimetic to this brown algae...

 

 

 

its characteristic crawling behaviour which consists of extending the anterior end forward, then anchoring it while the mid region is raised from the ground, pulling the posterior third forward. Then the posterior section is anchored while the anterior section is pushed forward

The head has a pair of labial palps (a) as well as cephalic tentacles (b) and rhinophores (c)

 


Christophe Cadet

Reunion, Saint Leu, 8 March 2010


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