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Unidentified
Phyllidiid
#1
Maximum size: about 10 mm.
Identification:
This
firm
dorid has a pink notum with low, smooth, conical
tubercles. The tubercles are simple, and do not join to form ridges.
They
appear to be arranged in a ring around the mantle margin and in three
loose longitudinal lines in the middle of
the notum. The anus opens dorsally. The rhinophores are cream. The
pale
lines and
patches on the back of the nudibranch appear to be the result of
predation rather than
part of the normal coloration.
Natural history:
The single known
animal
was found out in the open on lava rock at a depth of 14 m (45 ft).
Cynthia reports that when a black durgeon (Melichthys niger) took it in its
mouth it immediately spat it out, indicating a possible chemical
defense.
Distribution:
Big Island: perhaps, known from Papua New Guinea?
Taxonomic notes:
It
is
possible that this is a juvenile or atypical color form of
another phyllidiid though no known species from Hawaii is
uniformly pink. A pink species, "Phyllidiella sp. 4" from Papua
New Guinea illustrated in Gosliner, et. al. (2018) might be a
possibility. It was first recorded in Hawaii from Kona, Big Island
by
Cynthia Hankins in July, 2007.
Photo:
Cynthia Hankins: Kona, Big Island; July, 2007.
Observations and comments:
Note
1: ( )
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