Philine orca
Gosliner, 1988

Order: CEPHALASPIDEA
Family: Philinidae

DISTRIBUTION

Widespread Indo-West Pacific species

PHOTO

southern Yorke Peninsula, South Australia, February 1985. 3mm long alive. PHOTO: Bill Rudman.

This is one of the smallest species of Philine, and one of the few which is not a translucent white colour. The resemblance of its characteristic colour pattern of black patches on a white background, to the colours of the killer whale Orca, are the reason for its scientific name.

Reference:
• Gosliner, T.M., (1988). The Philinacea (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Opisthobranchia) of Aldabra Atoll, with descriptions of five new species and a new genus. Bulletin of the Biological Society of Washington, 8: 79-100, Figs 1-14.

Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 1998 (December 18) Philine orca Gosliner, 1988. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/philorca

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