Philinopsis reticulata from Sulawesi

Dear Lindsay,
This is almost certainly Philinopsis reticulata (Eliot 1903).

The reticulate pattern is characteristic, as are the blue markings on the inside edge of the anterior part of the parapodia. Eliot mentions the blue in his description, and I have found such marks on specimens I have found in East Africa, where Eliot's material came from.

Probably the most important confirmation is the shape of the head. The high median ridge, clearly seen in your photo and in Eliot's painting are an indication that this species is one of the group of Philinopsis with a very long narrow pharynx, as discussed under Philinopsis gardineri.

Eliot describes this as "pharynx of moderate size, 1.5 mm wide" which means little until it is compared with his description of the foregut of a similarly sized specimen of Philinopsis cyanea - "pharynx is colossal ... breadth 15mm" which describes the large buccal bulb, typical of most members of the genus. The illustration to the right is from Eliot, 1903, Pl. 13, fig. 1.

Have a look at the page I have prepared on this species which shows the considerable colour variation found in the species.

The earlier specimen you ask about, is not this species and as a suggested before is almost certainly a species of Chelidonura, not Philinopsis.

Reference: Eliot, C,N.E. (1903) Notes on some new or little known members of the family Doridiidae. Proceedings of the Malacological Society, London, 5(5): 331-337.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman.