Hoplodoris sp. from Thailand

April 29, 2008
From: Lawrence Neal


Concerning message #21191:

Dear Bill,

Here are some photos of what appears to be a species of Hoplodoris taken near Pattaya in the Gulf of Thailand. It looks very similar to the one seen by Melanie in Queensland.

This small slug was spotted in the daytime on the underside of a dead leaf in the shallows (about 6 metres). The water temperature was 28 degrees C. I have never seen this species here before and wouldn't have seen this one if I hadn't flipped the leaf over. I wonder, are these slugs normally only seen at night?

Locality: Koh Sark, Pattaya, 6 metres, Thailand, Gulf of Thailand, 09 February 2008, Sheltered sandy bay. Length: 18 mm. Photographer: Lawrence Neal.

Thanks for any information you may have.

Lawrence Neal

lorenzo_n@yahoo.com

Neal, L., 2008 (Apr 29) Hoplodoris sp. from Thailand. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/21416

Dear Lawrence,

At the risk of repeating myself, I am afraid I have always had difficulty identifying species of Hoplodoris just on their external features, and even after Fahey & Gosliner's review [see message #11040] I don't find it any easier. Your animal has similarities to Hoplodoris armata, but I think they are superficial, as the tubercles in your animal don't have a stalk. If the colour patch in the centre of the mantle in H. nodulosa is a good character of that species, then this is not H. nodulosa - and Melamie's is probably not as well. I think I will call this Hoplodoris grandiflora, but mainly because it is the oldest name for an Indo-West Pacific species of Hoplodoris.

I think we will need to do some more comparative work on this genus before we give up, but it may prove impossible to identify some species solely on external features.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2008 (Apr 29). Comment on Hoplodoris sp. from Thailand by Lawrence Neal. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/21416

Factsheet

Hoplodoris grandiflora

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