Dear Chay Hoon,

I think this is the same as the one in your other message [#22204] which I have decided to call Bornella sp. 2. In these photos you can clearly see the wrinkles on the dorso-lateral processes. The large sail-like process on the rhinophores sheath certainly reminds me of Bornella hermanni, but without some anatomical information, I think it would be a bit premature to ignore the wrinkles and body colour. It is indeed an interesting find.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Dear Chay Hoon,

Thanks very much for the extra photos. I suspect this is an unnamed species which has escaped our notice. Perhaps it is a very extreme form of Bornella hermanni? There seem to be only three pairs of dorso-lateral processes as in that species, while in B. stellifer we would expect five or six. However the dorso-lateral processes are shaped more as in B. hermanni, with one major lobe or papilla, and a number of smaller ones. However the heavy white pigmentation and red reticulate pattern, even on the dorso-lateral processes, are quite different. In this animal the major papilla in each lateral process, and the major papilla on the rhinophore sheaths is contoured with vertical wrinkles which seem present even when the processes are extended. The papillae also have a reddish reticulate pattern, in some cases the red extending into larger patches.

The rhinophore sheath is similar to B. hermanni in shape, but again, the red reticulate pattern is quite different. The translucent red of the rhinophores and in some animals the gills as well, is unusual, but it could just be a manifestation of a population with an excess of red pigmentation. I could call this Bornella cf. hermanni, but that might be confusing, so until we can examine specimens anatomically I have separated it as Bornella sp. 2.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Dear Chay Hoon,
Thanks for this interesting find. It is surely the same as the animal in Alice Lee's earlier message, which you refer to [#7721], which I considered to be a variation of Bornella stellifer. Her animal was 8 cm long so much larger than yours. In both specimens the white pigmentation is very intense but there are indications of subterminal orange rings on the papillae on the oral lobes, which with the orange on the dorso-lateral processes makes me think this is B. stellifer.  Unfortunately in both hers and your photo the rhinophore sheath appendages and the dorso-lateral processes seem to be very contracted so I can get no good idea of their shape. If you have any photos showing the animal in a more 'relaxed' state it might be helpful.

A large animal - 10 cm long - photographed in Michael Aw's message [#8054] from Sarawak also seems to be a form of B. stellifer. It also has the heavy coating of white, but the orange markings are vertical lines rather than a reticulate pattern. Interestingly it looks very like the original painting of Bornella adamsii J. E. Gray in M. E. Gray, 1850, which is the type species of the genus, but is now considered a synonym of B. stellifer. It has the typical sub-apical orange rings on the dorso-lateral processes and the oral lobe papillae.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Dear Alice,
These photo of Bornella stellifer are good because they show it on [feeding on?] a colony of hydroids. The main feature of the very distinctive head you mention are the two oral 'lappets' flanking the mouth. Each looks like a hand with outstretched fingers. The name 'stellifer' meaning starlike or 'carrying stars' is a reference to these structures, as is another name for this species, B. digitata, which refers tp them as 'digits' or 'fingers'.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman