Learchis poica
Marcus & Marcus, 1960

Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: AEOLIDINA
Family: Glaucidae

DISTRIBUTION

Caribbean, West Africa (Ghana)

PHOTO

The three photographed animals are all from Abaco, Bahamas, at a depth of about 1m:
Upper Right: 8mm. On Sargassum on shoreline rocks, Cooperstown. July 18, 1998.
Lower Left: 12mm. On hydroids on attached Sargassum at Pinder's Point. June 25, 1994.
lower Right: 14mm. On hydroids on attached Sargassum, Roberts' Boatyard. June 9, 1996. Photos: Colin Redfern.

The rhinophores are variously described as annulate, perfoliate and lamellate. In descriptions of living animals the rhinophores are consistently said to have an irregular arrangement of rings or annulations, some of which are irregular or incomplete. The species is somewhat variable in colour but usually contains the following elements. The animal is translucent clear with white patching on the head and behind the rhinophores. Sometimes the white pigmentation forms a broad continuous median band from the front of the head to the tip of the tail. There can also be an opaque white band of irregular shape and width down each side of the body below the cerata. There are often orange markings on the head, often consisting of an orange line from the base of the oral tentacles to the base of the rhinophores. There can also be an orange patch on each side of the head, sometimes called a 'cheek patch'. It can be replaced by an orange line from the base of the rhinophores to the foot, or from below the rhinophores forward to the front of the head below the oral tentacles. The cerata are tranlucent clear with a few scattered white patches and a subterminal white band. The digestive gland duct can range in colour from light to dark brown. See Learchis evelinae.

References:
• Edmunds, M. 1964. Eolid Mollusca from Jamaica, with descriptions of two new genera and three new species. Bulletin of Marine Science of the Gulf and Caribbean, 14(1): 1-32.
• Edmunds, M. (1968) Eolid Mollusca from Ghana with further details of west Atlantic species. Bulletin of Marine Science, 18(1): 203-219.
• Edmunds, M. & Just, H. (1983) Eolid nudibranchiate Mollusca from Barbados. Journal of Molluscan Studies, 49(3): 185-203.
• Marcus, Ev. & Er. Marcus. 1960. Opisthobranchs from American Atlantic warm waters. Bulletin of Marine Science of the Gulf and Caribbean, 10(2): 129-203.
• Redfern. C., 2001 Bahamian Seashells: a Thousand Species from Abaco, Bahamas.
• Thompson, T.E. (1977) Jamaican opisthobranch molluscs I. Journal of Molluscan Studies, 43(2): 93-139, pls.1-3.
• Thompson, T.E. (1980) Jamaican opisthobranch molluscs: II Journal of Molluscan Studies, 46(1): 74-99.

Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 2002 (September 22) Learchis poica Marcus & Marcus, 1960. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/learpoic

Copyright © Australian Museum, 1998-2010