Order : Nudibranchia
Suborder : Dexiarchia
Superfamily : Aeolidioidea
Family : Facelinidae
Distribution : Tropical indo west pacific
Maximal size : 40 mm
Abundance : Seldom on the reef flat zone

Species characteristics :

Body translucent pink with numerous opaque white spots on the surface of the notum, cerata, rhinophores and oral tentacles

Cerata curved, with a cream apical region. The lateral branches (secondary branches) of the digestive glande are visible through the cerata wall.

The oral tentacles and the smooth rhinophores are long and tapering with a creamish white distal half

Bibliographic data (P. poindimieri) :

There is usually a bluish (blue iridescence) to purple subapically on the cerata, rhinophores and cephalic tentacles
    The cerata are long, circular in cross section, smooth and evenly curved. They are arranged in ten or more discrete clusters in symmetrical pairs. They are transparent and the pinkish red to orange branches of the digestive gland are easily visible through the wall in the lower sections. The distal sections are yellowish
    The rhinophores are long, smooth and roughly equal in length to the cephalic tentacles.
    The anterior foot corner are triangular in shape and enlarged into short tentacles
    The tail is long and the tip is pointed
    This is one of the species of Phyllodesmium that does not harbour zooxanthellae in its tissues.

Photo Philibert Bidgrain

Reunion, La Saline lagoon, less 1 m, 26 January 2010, size : 20-22 mm

- The tail is long and the tip is pointed (a)
   - The lateral branches (secondary branches) (b) of the digestive glande are visible through the cerata wall.
   - The oral tentacles and the smooth rhinophores are long and tapering with a creamish white distal half (c)

Photo Christophe Cadet

Reunion, La Saline lagoon, less 1 m , 30 December 2009, size : 13 mm

Two specimens with its spawn

Wagner & al. (2009) reported that it lays a white spiral egg mass

Photo Norbert Verneau

Mayotte, platier rocheux de Pamandzi, less 1 m, 17 October 2010, size : 15 mm

In this specimen we can see two others characteristic of P. poindimiei :

- The branches of the digestive gland are orange (a)

- Presence of bluish (blue iridescence (b))to purple markings on the cerata, oral tentacle and rhinophores

Photo Eva Fontaine

Mayotte, "Gombé Ndroumé", less 1 m, 21 December 2011, size : 10-15 mm

- The branches of the digestive gland are orange but absence d'iridescence bleue...