Thorunna florens? from Lembeh strait

January 3, 2007
From: Heidi Hösel

Dear Bill,

Maybe you can help me identify this tiny chromodorid found by my husband in Lembeh strait. At first glance, I considered it to be a Noumea or Durvilledoris species, but the colour pattern did not fit into any one of these categories.

The tiny white lateral double line together with the dark blue lining around the mantle edge distinguish this specimen from the purple Noumea, Thorunna, Durvilledoris and Hypselodoris species I have so far seen. Also the rhinophores (transparent base, red upper half with a pale blotch inside) seem uncommon to me.

Locality: Hairball 3, Lembeh strait, N-Sulawesi, about 14m, Indonesia, Pacific, 26 August 2006, sandy, silty slope. Length: 1,5cm. Photographer: Hermann Ernicke.

Thank you and best greetings

Heidi Hösel

hhoesel@gmx.de

Hösel, H., 2007 (Jan 3) Thorunna florens? from Lembeh strait. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/18989

Dear Heidi,
This has similarities to quite a few chromodorids including  Thorunna kahuna, Thorunna cf. australis and many in the Noumea purpurea colour group. I find that if the colour pattern is not a clear indicator, then the first step needed to identify these small elongate chromodorids is to have a  look at the radula so that we can  decide which genus the animal belongs to. External clues are quite difficult in many of these species. I think however that this is the same as an animal in Dave Harasti's message [#11613] which I think is most probably a colour variant of Thorunna florens.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2007 (Jan 3). Comment on Thorunna florens? from Lembeh strait by Heidi Hösel. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/18989

Factsheet

Thorunna florens

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