Marionia cyanobranchiata from the Red Sea
February 5, 2002
From: Jim Anderson
Dear Dr. Rudman,
I attach a couple of images of an animal I have tentatively identified as a Marionopsis sp. based on an example in Debelius.
The images were taken on a night dive in the Red Sea on 19 Oct 1996 at Wadi Jamal dive site, Egypt, in 11 M depth. The animal was approx 125mm long and found out crawling across the sand bottom.
Kind regards,
Jim A
jander4454@aol.com
Dear Jim,
This is an almost perfect match for Ruppell & Leuckart's Tritonia cyanobranchiata, which is probably best placed in the genus Marionia. The greenish-blue gills and the dark marking on the dorsum are very distinctive. There are very few confirmed sightings of this species since 1831, but I suspect this is a reflection of collecting effort rather than evidence that the species is rare.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
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