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

Order : Nudibranchia Suborder : Dexiarchia Superfamily : Tritonioidea Family : Tritiniidae Distribution : Indo-West Pacific. Maximal size : 50 mm Abundance : Seldom if ever on the fore reef zone Species characteristics : Body translucent white, orange or yellow with opaque white markings on the smooth notum. The highly branched congested secondary gills are held horizontally and form an almost complete fringe around the body.
	Showing species characteristics...	Fabrice Schubert Mayotte, Longoni, 15 m, 9 September 2012

See more about : Sightening and mating periods

Remarks :

Identification confirmed by Nathalie Yonow
    Synonymous : (according Worms)
          - Tritoniopsis gravieri, Vayssière, 1912

External morphology :

The colour difference of the notum does not appear to be food-related for both colour forms can be found together on the same colony of the soft-coral on which they feed.
    Each rhinophore is surrounded by a elongate, tubular sheath with a serie of tiny papillae around the margin.
    The oral veil is broad but with short simple processes (about 14 simple tentacles) the outermost two tentacles are strongest.
    The egg ribbon is a white spirale.
    Like other members of the genus, Tritoniopsis elegans feeds on soft corals (Gosliner, et al, 2008) like Lobophyton sp., Sinularia sp., Briareum sp., Scleronephthya sp., Dendronephthya sp., and Pachyclavularia sp.
    The specific name elegans is from the Latin elegans, meaning neat

References :

Bill Rudman Seaslug site : Sea Slug Forum : Tritoniopsis elegans
   Nudipixel Tritoniopsis elegans

Publications :

  Audouin, V. (1826). Explication sommaire des planches de Mollusques de l'Egypte et de Syrie publiees par J.C. Savigny. Description de l'Egypte ou recueil des observations et des recherches qui ont été faites en Egypte pendant l'expedition de l'armée françaises, publie par les ordres de sa majeste l'empereur Napoleon le grand. Histoire Naturelle, Animaux invertebres, 1(4) : 7-56. Imprimiere imperiale: Paris.
    Baba, K. (1969). Taxonomic study on Tritoniopsis elegans (Audouin, 1826) from Seto, Japan (Nudibranchia:Dendronotoidea). Publications of the Seto Marine Biological Laboratory. 16(6): 395-398

Other photos of Tritoniopsis elegans :

Alain-Benoît Rassat Madagascar, Nosy Bé, patate de l'entrée, 21 March 2014, size : 12 mm   A juvenile form with gills less branched.

Mathieu Bayon Mauritius, The gills are held horizontally and form an almost complete fringe around the body

Seb Vasquez Reunion, Etang salé on the rocky coast, less 1 m, 9 November 2014   Body translucent white, orange or yellow with opaque white markings on the smooth notum. During the night...

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