Anteaeolidiella indica
(Bergh, 1888)

Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: AEOLIDINA
Family: Aeolidiidae

PHOTO

Auckland, New Zealand, intertidal. 5 November 2003. Photo: Brian Kuan

Previously placed in the genus Aeolidiella it has recently [Miller, 2001] been placed in a monotypic genus Anteaeolidiella. This common intertidal aeolid is found throughout the tropical Indo-West Pacific and occurs as far south as northern New Zealand. There are also records from the Atlantic and Mediterranean under various names. It is not clear whether it has a natural circum-tropical distribution or whether it has spread more widely with the assistance of shipping. The colour of the dorsal part of the body ranges from a dull uniform orange-brown to a pale translucent white background with a row of white patches down the dorsal midline, each outlined by an orange line. It has been known under many names, many of which were synonymised by Gosliner & Griffiths (1981) including Aeolidiella takanosimensis. Little is known of its biology but I have observed animals in Australia feeding on sea anemones and it has direct developing larvae.

References:
• Baba, K. (1979a) Brief comment on the identification of a nudibranchiate mollusk, Aeolidiella takanosimensis Baba 1930, from Amakusa, Japan (Eolidoidea: Aeolidiidae). Publications from the Amakusa Marine Biological Laboratory, Kyushu University 5(1): 1-7.
• Baba, K. (1979b) Short account of the anatomy of a nudibranchiate mollusk; Aeolidiella takanosimensis Baba, 1930 from Japan (Eolidoidea: Aeolidiidae). The Veliger, 22(1): 12-18.
•Baba, K. (1930) Studies on Japanese nudibranchs 3. A. Phyllidiidae. B. Aeolididae. Venus, The Japanese Journal of Malacology, 2(3): 117-125.
• Gosliner, T.M. & Griffiths, R.J. (1981) Description and revision of some South African aeolidacean Nudibranchia (Mollusca, Gastropoda). Annals of the South African Museum, 84(2): 105-150.
• Miller, M.C. (2001) Aeolid nudibranchs (Gastropoda: Opisthobranchia) of the family Aeolidiidae from New Zealand waters. Journal of Natural History, 35: 629-662.

Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 2003 (November 11) Anteaeolidiella indica (Bergh, 1888). [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/anteindi

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