Thuridilla splendens? from the Coral Sea

June 16, 2000
From: Stuart Hutchison

Dear Bill,
Here is another one I can't identify. It is from 8-12m in the Coral Sea.

Stuart Hutchison

hutchco@tpg.com.au

Hutchison, S., 2000 (Jun 16) Thuridilla splendens? from the Coral Sea. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/2398

Dear Stuart,

I am pretty sure this is Thuridilla splendens, but it is also quite similar to Thuridilla bayeri. The main differences Terry Gosliner (1995) notes in his review off the genus were a slightly enlarged pharyngeal pouch in T. splendens and yellow spots on the parapodia. The animal in your photo certainly has the yellow spots, but the parapodial edge also has light blue spots, more typical of T. splendens and smaller bright blue spots, more characteristic of T. bayeri. The rhinophores also look more like those of T. bayeri.

There is considerable variation in the colour of these two species. Because of the yellow spots I will call this T. splendens, but I am no expert on this genus, which contains some of the most colourful of the herbivorous sacoglossan slugs.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman.

Rudman, W.B., 2000 (Jun 16). Comment on Thuridilla splendens? from the Coral Sea by Stuart Hutchison. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/2398

Factsheet

Thuridilla splendens

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