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This species has been observed on Reunion, Mayotte, Madagascar and Seychelles Islands

Order : Sacoglossa Superfamily : Plakobranchoidea Family : Plakobranchidae Distribution : Known from South Africa, Kenya, Seychelles, Indonesia to Western Australia. Maximal size : 18 mm Abundance : Species characteristics : The parapodia are lined with a thin band of black, followed by a broad band of orange, an irregular band of black with a serie of ventral extensions of pigment. Between the black extensions are patches of reflective bright blue The body is green, covered with minute opaque white spots The head is blue with a centrally placed Y-shaped opaque white patch, the arms of the Y extending up onto the rhinophores The rhinophores have a dark (blue or black) tip with a thin orange transversal line
	Showing species characteristics...	Photo Philibert Bidgrain Reunion, "Trou d'eau", Saint Gilles, less 1 m, 2 July 2010, size : 10-12 mm

See more about : Sightening and mating periods
   See more about : Thuridilla phylogeny by Gosliner 1995
   See more about : Thuridilla indopacifica variability in Southwest Indian ocean

Remarks :

Identification confirmed by Terry Gosliner and Kathe Jensen
    Gosliner description (1995) of the rhinophores : " The head is covered with opaque white, which extends on to the basal half of the rhinophores. Above this, is a diffuse band of blue followed by black, orange and blue bands "
    Our specimens like others ( see Bill Rudman Seaslug Site and Nudipixel) haven't this kind of pattern on the rhinophores... They have a dark tip with a thin orange transversal line
    Synonymous : (according Worms)
               - No other name

Bibliographic data :

The anterior margin of the foot has black, orange, black and blue bands
    This species is name for the indo-pacific tropics, the region where Thuridilla reaches its highest diversity
    In external morphology, T indopacifica most closely resembles to T. picta, which is known from the tropical Atlantic
            - T. indopacifica has a black parapodial line sometimes absent in T. picta
            - The parapodial lines of T. picta are far more undulating than in T. indopacifica
            - T. indopacifica has more white pigment on the head than does T. picta
    Comparative data of the five Thuridilla with black, orange and blue margin found in our area...

	T. multimarginata	T. indopacifica	T. livida	T. hoffae	T. undula
Parapodial margin	Narrow white edge enlarged at regular intervals, then a narrow stripes of orange, black, pale blue, and black.	Thin brownish black edge, then a broad band of yellow-orange, and an irregular band of black. In the spaces between the blackish extensions are bright blue	Black edge followed by lines of orange, black and narrow iridescent blue	Bright yellow-orange edge, followed by a thin black line and a diffuse broad light blue to blue green band.	Broad burnt orange edge, followed by lines of black and vivid blue
Head	Opaque white pigment with sometimes orange marks	Blue with a centrally placed Y-shaped opaque white patch	Dark brown to black	Black to dark blue	Black and reflective blue pigment.
Rhinophores	They have opaque white pigment with sometimes orange marks     The tips of the rhinophores are black	The base are whitish to pale blue. At the tips are bands of blue, black, orange-yellow and black.    Not observed in our specimens	They are dark brown to black     The apical half has opaque white pigment	They are light blue except for the tip which is dark-blue	The base are turquoise bluish green. At the middle are narrow bands of blue and black. The apex is orange
Body	Orange or light to dark green	Translucent green with scattered opaque white spots	Dark brown to black	Black to dark blue	Turquoise bluish green
Anterior margin of the foot	It has orange, black, blue and black lines	It has black, orange-yellow , black and blue bands	It has black, orange and blue lines .	It hasn't blue and orange lines	It has orange, black and blues bands.

References :

Bill Rudman Seaslug site : Sea Slug Forum : Thuridilla indopacifica
   Nudipixel Thuridilla indopacifica

Publications :

  Gosliner, T.M. (1995) The genus Thuridilla (Opisthobranchia: Elysiidae) from the tropical Indo-Pacific, with a revision of the phylogeny and systematics of the Elysiidae. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 49(1) : 1-54.
    Jensen, K.R. (2007). Biogeography of the Sacoglossa (Mollusca, Opisthobranchia). Bonner Zoologische Beiträge. 55: 255–281.

Other photos of Thuridilla indopacifica :

Alain Benoît Rassat Madagascar Nosy bé

Philibert Bidgrain Mayotte, Mtsanga Tanaraki, less 1 m, 24 July 2010, size : 15 mm The parapodia are lined with a thin band of black (a), followed by a broad band of orange (b), an irregular band of black (c) with a serie of ventral extensions. Between these extensions are patches of reflective bright blue (d)

Philibert Bidgrain Mayotte, Mtsanga Tanaraki, less 1 m, 25 July 2010, size : 3-4 mm and 12 mm for the larger Two specimens of a small population found crawling during the day on Tanaraki reef flat area The anterior margin of the foot has black, orange, black and blue bands

Philibert Bidgrain Mayotte, Mtsanga Tanaraki, less 1 m, 24 July 2010, size : 3 mm A juvenile, 3 mm long...

Philibert Bidgrain Reunion, "Trou d'eau", Saint Gilles, less 1 m, 10 October 2010, size : 20 mm   In this specimen the orange band on the rhinophore is larger than usual...

Philibert Bidgrain Mayotte, Mtsanga Tanaraki, less 1 m , 8 August 2012, size : 3 mm A partially eaten specimen...

See more about : Thuridilla phylogeny by Gosliner 1995

See more about : Thuridilla indopacifica variability in Southwest Indian ocean

Mayotte, Thuridilla indopacifica, at Sakouli, by Matthias Deuss

Reunion, Thuridilla indopacifica on a strange substrate, by Alain Barrère  

Seychelles, Thuridilla indopacifica with pale rhinophore tip, at Mahé, by Christophe Mason-Parker