Gymnodoris ceylonica from Tonga

May 27, 2001
From: Don Barclay

Hello Bill,
I finally got around to sorting out the photos I took in February, 2001, in Vava'u, Tonga. Most of the slugs were easy to identify, as many were the same species (and same forms) found on Heron Island. There was surprisingly little overlap with the ones that I see in Samoa.

I still have a couple that have eluded me, and here is one of them. It is a little white nudibranch with raised orange spots, and orange tips on the rhinophores. It looks quite distinctive, so I would think it wouldn't be too hard to identify.

This 12mm nudibranch was found crawling on sand in 14 meters of water across the channel from the Tongan Beach Resort, Utungake Island, Vava'u, Tonga. It was found about noon on 16 February 2001.

I kept trying to turn him over or get a photo of his head, but he could flip back over quicker than I could get the camera to focus, and he would "duck" his head immediately once he had righted himself. I finally gave up, and all I got was this rear view. Can you identify it for me?

Thanks,
Don

n5ols@samoatelco.com

Barclay, D., 2001 (May 27) Gymnodoris ceylonica from Tonga. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/4258

Dear Don,
This is a juvenile Gymnodoris ceylonica. When I first found juveniles I thought they were a distinct species but their anatomy is identical.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2001 (May 27). Comment on Gymnodoris ceylonica from Tonga by Don Barclay. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/4258

Factsheet

Gymnodoris ceylonica

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