Spurilla salaamica
Rudman, 1982

Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: AEOLIDINA
Family: Aeolidiidae

DISTRIBUTION

Known from Tanzania, east Africa, and Japan.

PHOTO

All specimens collected on intertidal piles supporting the sewer pipe, North Reef, Harbour entrance, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Upper Right; Lower Left: AM C124694, 12mm long alive, 8 May 1974, paratype. Lower Right: AM C124693, 10mm long alive, 16 Aug. 1973, paratype.

Rhinophores with relatively long scattered papillae on posterior side. The cerata are long and cylindrical, not as flattened as Spurilla major. The body and foot are translucent white with pinkish-orange viscera showing thrugh the body wall. There is a pigmented white patch on the head, the white being most intense around the edge, and a diamond-shaped whitish patch behind the rhinophores. In some specimens there are scattered white patches down the dorsal surface of the body. No sign of zooxanthellae in digestive gland. Grows to about 20mm in length. Similar in shape and colour to Spurilla chromosoma but differs in ceratal arrangement and shape of the rhinophores, papillate in S. salaamica, lamellate in S. chromosoma.

Reference:
• Rudman, W. B. (1982). The taxonomy and biology of further aeolidacean and arminacean nudibranch molluscs with symbiotic zooxanthellae. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 74(2): 147-196.

Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 2002 (May 27) Spurilla salaamica Rudman, 1982. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/spursala

Related messages

  1. Spurilla salaamica from South Korea
    From: Dong Bum Koh, June 11, 2005
  2. Spurilla salaamica from Japan
    From: Jun Imamoto, May 30, 2002
  3. Spurilla salaamica from Tanzania
    From: Bill Rudman, May 30, 2002

Show factsheet and all related messages