This species has been observed on Mayotte and Madagascar Islands
Order : Nudibranchia
Suborder : Euctenidiacea
Superfamily : Polyceroidea
Family :
Polyceridae
Distribution : Madagascar, Seychelles and Mayotte
Maximal size : 20 mm
Abundance :
Species characteristics :
Plocamopherus lemur has a brownish background color heavily speckled all over the body with minute brown dots, and minute orange dots that are clustered to form orange patches.
White pigment may be present : branchial leaves, lateral appendage, rhinophores, margins etc
There are three pairs of lateral appendages, with only the last pair forming a rounded, brown, and prominent globular structure. |
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Showing species characteristics... |
Photo
Philibert Bidgrain
Mayotte,m'bouanatsa, less 1 m, 21 October 2008, size : 20 mm
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See more about : Sightening and mating periods
Remarks :
Identification confirmed by Terry Gosliner
Synonymous : (according Worms)
- No other name
Bibliographic data :
White pigment is present in front of the branchial leaves, around the lateral appendages, at the base of the rhinophores and along the crest. This white coloration is situated on the notum along a non-continuous line at the margin of both sides of the animal and joining behind the branchial leaves. White pigment is also present along the margin of the sides of the body, the oral veil, tips of branchiae and clavus of the rhinophores.
At the peduncle, the rhinophores are translucent and the clavus is brown orange with a white apex. The rhinophoral sheath is short with clusters of orange dots.
There are three pairs of lateral appendages, with only the last pair forming a rounded, brown, and prominent globular structure. All lateral appendages are conical having a short but highly ramified prolongation at the apex. The first two lateral appendages are very short and the last pair is very elongate.
Six to eight small tubercles are present at each side of the animal.
The oral veil has 18 ramified appendages that differ in length.
There are three principal tripinnate branchial leaves.
Plocamopherus lemur resembles P. ceylonicus and P. pecoso. All three species have a brownish translucent background color with orange and brown dots on the notum but :
- in P. lemur these dots are not distributed regularly, but in patches
- No branched papillae or yellow coloration are present on the notum of P. lemur, which are characteristic of P. ceylonicus
- Only the last pair of lateral appendages has the globular structures in P. lemur, while both P. pecoso and P. ceylonicus have two pairs of globular structures.
Etymology : This species is named lemur owing to similarity of coloration with the cryptic primates that are characteristic of its type locality, Madagascar
References :
Publications :
Vallès Y. & Gosliner T.M. 2006. Shedding light onto the genera (Mollusca: Nudibranchia) Kaloplocamus and Plocamopherus with description of new species belonging to these unique bioluminescent dorids . The Veliger 48(3): 178-205
Other photos of Plocamopherus lemur :
Mayotte,m'bouanatsa, less 1 m, 21 October 2008, size : 20 mm |
Philibert Bidgrain |
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At the peduncle, the rhinophores are translucent (a) and the clavus is brown orange
The oral veil has 18 ramified appendages (b) that differ in length.
Plocamopherus lemur has a brownish background color heavily speckled all over the body with minute brown dots, and minute orange dots that are clustered to form orange patches (c).
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There are three pairs of lateral appendages (a) , with only the last pair forming a rounded, brown, and prominent globular structure (b).
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Philibert Bidgrain
Mayotte,vm'bouanatsa, less 1 m, 13 October 2008, size : 15-18 mm
White pigment is present in front of the branchial leaves (a) , around the lateral appendages (b), at the base of the rhinophores (c) and along the crest (d) . This white coloration is situated on the notum along a non-continuous line at the margin of both sides (e) of the animal and joining behind the branchial leaves.
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Alain-Benoît Rassat
Madagascar, Nosy Bé, Iranja, 2 m, 6 April 2015, size : 25 mm
There are three pairs of lateral appendages, with only the last pair forming a rounded, brown, and prominent globular structure.
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