Phyllidiella cooraburrama
Brunckhorst, 1993

Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DORIDINA
Superfamily: EUDORIDOIDEA
Family: Phyllidiidae

DISTRIBUTION

Known from inshore reef areas in Ponape, Fiji, and the Great Barrier Reef, Australia.

PHOTO

5 m depth, Bare Islet, Cape Ferguson, Townsville, north Qld, 8 Aug. 1986, dorsal view of 38 mm specimen (Brunckhorst, 1993: Plate 6H). PHOTO: D. Brunckhorst.

Notes compiled from Brunckhorst, 1993:
Phyllidiella cooraburrama is a particularly striking nudibranch. It is distinguished by its extremely large, isolated, notal tubercles which have a very broad pink base, are steep sided, tall and multicompound with flattish (sometimes rounded) apices. P. cooraburrama is easily separated from its pink congeners by the form of its large tubercles. Phyllidiella pustulosa has grouped clusters of low tubercles. Phyllidiella annulata has rings of pink with low angular tubercles. Phyllidiella nigra has single rounded red-pink tubercles. Phyllidiella rosans has low, rounded, smooth, straight ridges. Phyllidiella zeylanica has highly tuberculate ridges which join together anteriorly and posteriorly. Phyllidiella granulata is superficially similar to P. cooraburrama, but differs in having smaller conical or acute white tubercles on a granular grey background.

Reference:
• Brunckhorst, D.J. (1993) The systematics and phylogeny of Phyllidiid Nudibranchs (Doridoidea). Records of the Australian Museum, Supplement 16: 1-107.

Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 1999 (July 12) Phyllidiella cooraburrama Brunckhorst, 1993. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/phylcoor

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