Phyllodesmium cf poindimiei (Risbec, 1928)

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This species has been observed on Reunion and Mayotte Islands


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

Phyllodesmium poindimiei
Showing species characteristics...

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

See more about : Sightening and mating periods
   See more about : Phyllodesmium cf poindimiei a variability in Southwest Indian ocean
   See more about : Phyllodesmium phylogeny by Moore & Gosliner, 2009
    See more about : Phyllodesmium ceratal arrangement by Rudman, 1991
    See more about : Ceratal structure in Phyllodesmium by Rudman, 1991

Remarks :

Identification confirmed by Nathalie Yonow and Hsini Lin
    Our specimens looks like P. poindimiei but they present some colour difference from the typical pattern of this species, so we call it P. cf poindimiei.
               - Absence of bluish (blue iridescence) to purple markings on the cerata, oral tentacle and rhinophores
               - The branches of the digestive gland aren't pinkish red to orange, and the distal sections aren't yellowish

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.

It feeds on the alcyonarian corals belonging to the family Clavulariidae Telesto sp and Carijoa sp in New South Wales and Carijoa sp in tropical waters.
    It's primarily nocturnal, concealing itself near the bases of the octocoral during the day and crawling out to the tips of the plumes at night
    Wagner & al. (2009) reported that it lays a white spiral egg mass that hatches in 5-6 days in the laboratory and that it is preyed on by the swimming crab Thalamita integra.

References :

Bill Rudman Seaslug site : Sea Slug Forum : Phyllodesmium poindimiei
   Nudipixel Phyllodesmium poindimiei

Publications :

Risbec, J., 1928. Contribution à l'étude des nudibranches Néo-Calédoniens. Faune des Colonies Françaises, 2 : 1-328.
    Rudman, W.B. (1981) The anatomy and biology of alcyonarian feeding aeolid opisthobranch molluscs and their development of symbiosis with zooxanthellae. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 72 : 219-262
    Rudman, W.B. (1991) Further studies on the taxonomy and biology of the octocoral-feeding genus Phyllodesmium Ehrenberg, 1831 (Nudibranchia: Aeolidoidea). Journal of Molluscan Studies, 57(2) : 167-203.
    Wagner, D., S. E. Kahng & R. J. Toonen.  2009.  Observations on the Life History and Feeding Ecology of a Specialized Nudibranch Predator ( Phyllodesmium poindimiei ), with Implications for Bbiocontrol of an Invasive Octocoral ( Carijoa riisei ) in Hawaii, J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. (2009)

Other photos of Phyllodesmium cf poindimiei :


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...

 


 More photos from Indian Ocean

See more about : Phyllodesmium cf poindimiei a variability in Southwest Indian ocean

See more about : Phyllodesmium phylogeny by Moore & Gosliner, 2009

See more about : Phyllodesmium ceratal arrangement by Rudman, 1991

See more about : Ceratal structure in Phyllodesmium by Rudman, 1991

Mayotte, Phyllodesmium cf poindimiei with long and numerous cerata, at Gombé Ndroumé, by Philibert Bidgrain

Reunion, Phyllodesmium cf poindimiei with intense orange digestive gland, at Etang salé, by Christophe Cadet