Re: Phyllodesmium magnum from Thailand

January 23, 2004
From: Paul Whitehead


Dear Dr. Rudman,
I believe this may be a Phyllodesmium magnum(?)

A pair were seen, one being about 50 mm in length and the other 80-100 mm at a depth of 18 meters at Hin Plueng, an underwater mount close to Rayong and Sattaheap in Thailand. The mount is in an area in which the bottom is mixed sand and silt and you can see silt in the photographs. This is first time I have encountered such a nudibranch in this area, where I dive regulary. I also noted from reading your other posts that this may not be a common occurrence in the Thai Gulf area.
Paul Whitehead

whitehead@damnam.org

Whitehead, P., 2004 (Jan 23) Re: Phyllodesmium magnum from Thailand. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/11983

Thanks Paul,
Yes this certainly looks like Phyllodesmium magnum. In your photos it seems to be on a hard coral. Was it putj tere for the photo? Why I ask is that this species is only known to feed on soft-corals, in particular species of the the genus Sinularia. It is possible it may eat other soft corals but I would be surprised if it also ate hard corals.

I can't really say whether it is uncommon in Thailand or not as we know so little about the species. I suspect it is not uncommon, but I guess it will take a few years of observations for us toe get a real idea of its distribution and abundance
Best wishes
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2004 (Jan 23). Comment on Re: Phyllodesmium magnum from Thailand by Paul Whitehead. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/11983

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