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Additional Photos
cerata detail
head, side
young
with egg masses
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Pleurolidia juliae Burn, 1966
Maximum size: about 30 mm.
Identification:
This
species is a slender, dark brown aeolid flecked with cream
(particularly medially on the notum where the flecks may coalesce to
form a stripe). The cerata are short, widely spaced and flecked
with white. There is a subapical band of dusky yellow on the cerata and
the rhinophores are flecked with white.
Natural history: Pleurolidia juliae
is a moderately rare species that is a specialized feeder on hydroids of the genus Solanderia. It lives on its host
(where it is superbly camouflaged) and can be found at exposed to
highly exposed rocky sites. It's egg mass is a "slinky-like" spiral
deposited around a branch of the hydroid.
Distribution:
Big Island, Maui, Oahu and Niihau: widely distributed in the Indo-Pacific.
Taxonomic notes:
This species was moved from the Aeolidiidae to the Facelinidae in Carmona, et. al., 2013. It was first recorded in Hawaii at Pupukea, Oahu by Scott Johnson on March 22,
1978 and is listed on many sites as Protaeolidia juliae.
Photo: Jenna Szerlag: about 30 mm, Makena landing, Maui; March 28, 2022.
Observations and comments:
Note
1: ( )
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