Flabellina riwo from Tioman, Malaysia

April 16, 2005
From: Yuki Shigematsu

Hello Bill,

This tiny sea slug from Tioman looks like a juvenile Flabellina bilas for me though cerata looks a bit different. It was very small less than 1 cm. Can you identify this sea slug?

Locality: Tioman island, Malaysia, South China Sea. Depth: approx 15 m. Length: less than 10 mm. 25 March 05. Photographer: Yuki Shigematsu

Yuki Shigematsu

ikanhiu_same@hotmail.com

Shigematsu, Y., 2005 (Apr 16) Flabellina riwo from Tioman, Malaysia. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/13489

Dear Yuki,

Flabellina bilas, Flabellina bicolor and Flabellina riwo are three species of the genus with these chracteristic 'paddle-shaped' oral tentacles. The only species with the white reticulate pattern on the body and a purple band on the cerata, as in your animals, is Flabellina riwo. The original description of this species does not mention any yellow in the colour pattern but your photos, and others already on the Forum, show that it can have a yellow band on the cerata, above the purple one,  and can also have a yellow mark at least on the dorsal surface of the paddle-shaped tip to the oral tentacles.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2005 (Apr 16). Comment on Flabellina riwo from Tioman, Malaysia by Yuki Shigematsu. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/13489

Factsheet

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