Order : Nudibranchia
Suborder : Dexiarchia
Superfamily : Aeolidioidea
Family : Facelinidae
Distribution : Tanzania, Philippines and now Mayotte
Maximal size : 22 mm
Abundance :

Species characteristics :

Body translucent white with a serie of opaque white patches on the anterior end of the head, at the base of the rhinophores, on the pericardium and along the posterior sections of the notum

Cerata smooth and semicircular in cross section

The anal papilla of P. pecten lies inside the second ceratal arch

Bibliographic data :

The body is translucent, sometimes with a yellowish tinge, and there is a distinct pattern of white pigmentation. On the head is an inverted triangular white patch, the apex of the triangle joining a white band running across the head just in front of the rhinophores. Just behind the rhinophores is a triangular white patch, and down the centre line between each ceratal cluster is a diamond shaped white patch
    Ducts from the stomach to the digestive gland in the cerata show through the body wall in plates as irregular brown lines.
    The cerata are with white with some translucent patches, and the pale creamy brown digestive gland shows through as a faint cream-brown tinge.The ducts of the digestive gland inside the cerata branches are on a primary level in P. pecten.
    In the larger specimens, the cerata are arranged in six clusters on each side. The most anterior cluster, in front of the pericardium, are arranged in a single-rowed arch. The first cluster behind the pericardium is also a single-rowed arch, while the remaining cerata are arranged in four single rows on each side

Photo Emmanuelle Aigle

Mayotte, Sakouli, 10 m, 3 February 2010