Fryeria picta
(Pruvot-Fol, 1957)

Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DORIDINA
Family: Phyllidiidae

DISTRIBUTION

Brunckhorst records it from the western Pacific Ocean (Fiji, Solomons, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Great Barrier Reef). Recorded here from Philippines, Thailand.

PHOTO

UPPER: Pelorus Island, Palu Island Group, North Queensland, 10m, 33mm long, November 1983. PHOTO: Bill Rudman. (Brunckhorst, 1993: Plate 4H). LOWER: 10 m depth, patch reef off Lion Island, Papua New Guinea, 17 June 1988, dorsal view of 14 mm specimen. PHOTO: D. Brunckhorst. (Brunckhorst, 1993: Plate 5A).

NOTE: Fryeria menindie (Brunckhorst, 1993) was shown by Yonow, 1996 to be a junior synonym of Phyllidia picta Pruvot-Fol, which Yonow showed was in fact a species of Fryeria. Animals previously identified as F. menindie on the Forum have been moved to Fryeria picta.

External features distinguishing Fryeria picta from its congeners include the broad blue bases to its isolated, large gold capped tubercles, the three narrow, black median ridges and pale grey coloration ventrally (the tips of the oral tentacles are also grey). Fryeria picta resembles Fryeria rueppelii, Fryeria guamensis and Fryeria marindica. Fryeria picta and F. rueppelii are oval in shape whereas F. guamensis and F. marindica are elongate. Fryeria rueppelii has crescentic areas on its margin, however these are white (as are the bases of the tubercles; blue in F. picta). The mantle margin of F. rueppelii is edged in yellow-orange whereas there is no such contrasting coloration to the mantle edge in F. picta. Fryeria marindica also has blue and gold coloration, but does not possess the crescent shaped areas around the margin. The blue areas of F. marindica are elongate and angular. Fryeria marindica possesses a single midline longitudinal ridge (F. picta has three ridges) of coalesced tubercles. Fryeria marindica has many black rays running between its blue tubercular areas. Fryeria guamensis has pale yellow capped tubercles (gold in F. menindie), lacks blue coloration and has neither crescentic areas nor black rays extending laterally to the mantle margins.

Brunckhorst had considered P. picta to be a junior synonym of P. coelestis, but Yonow's examination of the holotype of P. picta showed it to have traces of the typical color pattern with a solid black background, and to have the anus opening ventrally.

  • Brunckhorst, D.J. (1993) The systematics and phylogeny of Phyllidiid Nudibranchs (Doridoidea). Records of the Australian Museum, Supplement 16: 1-107.
  • Pruvot-Fol, A. (1957) Révision de la famille des Phyllidiadae. 2. Journal de Conchyliologie 97: 104-135, Pl.1.
  • Yonow, N. (1996) Systematic Revision of the Family Phyllidiidae in the Indian Ocean Province: Part 1 (Opisthobranchia: Nudibranchia: Doridoidea). Journal of Conchology, 35: 483-516.
Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 2006 (July 14) Fryeria picta (Pruvot-Fol, 1957). [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/fryepict

Related messages


Fryeria picta gills

October 3, 2007
From: Bruce Paggeot

Here is a picture of Fryeria picta. The mantle skirt is lifted on the right side and I can see what I think are the gills - is this correct?

Locality: Tioman, 10 meters, Malaysia, South China Sea, 15 September 2007, rocky reef. Length: 2.5 inches. Photographer: Lisa Paggeot.

Lisa Paggeot

bruce@paggeot.com

Paggeot, B.M., 2007 (Oct 3) Fryeria picta gills. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/20824

Dear Bruce,

Yes these are the gills. In phyllidiids there are a row of these gill 'flaps' along the underside of the mantle where it joins the sides of the body.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2007 (Oct 3). Comment on Fryeria picta gills by Bruce Paggeot. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/20824

Re: Fryeria picta from Sabah, Malaysia

July 27, 2007
From: Richard Swann

Concerning message #19481:

Thanks Bill
The message was from back in February and i have made a point of getting to know the forum much better now and had actually found the slug shortly after i had posted my question. Sorry to have wasted your time but at least it was a useful tool for getting the message across on how to use the forum more effectively.

We appreciate all your time and efforts and i fully understand the time it takes to respond to all our messages and manage a website of this size at the same time (our own site has 175 pages and is still growing).

Please keep up the fantastic work i can't imagine what we would do without the forum as a source of information.

Best regards
Richard

richard@downbelow.co.uk

Swann, R., 2007 (Jul 27) Re: Fryeria picta from Sabah, Malaysia. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/20152

Dear Richard,
Sorry it took a while to answer. Your query was not a waste of time - and as you realised, I often use a question as an opportunity to get a point across to everyone on how to use the Forum etc.

About five years after the Forum started I suddenly realised that a regular participant did not know that if you clicked on words which were coloured and underlined you would be transported to a new page. Since then I try to add a little 'lesson' on how to use the Forum whenever I get the opportunity. It's no good having 'bells and whistles' if no one knows about them.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2007 (Jul 27). Comment on Re: Fryeria picta from Sabah, Malaysia by Richard Swann. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/20152

Fryeria picta from Sabah, Malaysia

July 4, 2007
From: Richard Swann

Hi Bill
I was wondering if these were possibly variations of Phyllidia ocellata? I noticed in one of my books Nudibranches and Sea Snails by Debelius he discribes Fryeria ruppellii (page 271) that shows a lot of similarities to my images including one small tubercle directly behind each rhinophore however he states my region isn't correct. I tried putting this name into your forum search but had no joy has there been a name change for this species ?
I have attached two images taken this year around the Kota Kinabalu area.

Locality: Tunku Abdul Rahman park, 18meters, Sabah, Borneo, South China Sea, January and February 2007, Fringing reef . Length: Approx two inches. Photographer: Richard Swann.

Many thanks for your time
Richard

richard@downbelow.co.uk

Swann, R., 2007 (Jul 4) Fryeria picta from Sabah, Malaysia. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/19481

Dear Richard,

This is Fryeria picta, a species which used to be called F. menindie on the Forum. The small tubercle behind each rhinophore has been called a rhinotubercle by Dave Brunckhorst, and is found in all species of Phyllidia and Fryeria. The reason you didn't find Fryeria ruppellii is because it is spelt Fryeria rueppelii. I'm afraid you have to be careful of species named after Rueppel because he changed the spelling of his name a number of times and others often got it wrong as well. See message #1998 where I discuss this in some detail. Amazingly the spelling you used is the only one of 7 or 8 possible alternatives that I didn't list.

So how do you find things on the Forum if you are not sure of the correct spelling. In this case I would have gone to the Species List and used Ctl-F [or whatever you do with your browser to search a web page] and looked for Fryeria. You would have found the species under its slightly different spelling. If the list of  Fryeria species was long then you could have searched for Fryeria r  to speed things up.

Another way is to go to the Taxonomic search facility on the Forum and search for Fryeria or Fryeria r.

Sorry if this is a bit longwinded but it was an opportunity to explain some ways of searching on the Forum. The other type of search - Citation Search - is for when you have just the message number [such as #1998] or the filename of a Fact Sheet - perhaps you have written down a url or have a citation from a printed paper. All you have to do is put the number or filename in the Citation search box. I use it all the time.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2007 (Jul 4). Comment on Fryeria picta from Sabah, Malaysia by Richard Swann. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/19481

Fryeria picta? from Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia

May 3, 2007
From: Kristin Anderson

Dear Bill ,
Another tricky blue bumpy nudibranch.

He looks like Fryeria picta as shown in the bottom photo of yourFact sheet but I am not sure.

Locality: Lighthouse Bay Ningaloo Reef, 12m, Western Australia, Indian Ocean, 19 October 2006, limestone & hard coral reef. Length: 3 cms. Photographer: Kristin Anderson.

Kristin Anderson

kristin@oceansbyanderson.com

Anderson, K.J., 2007 (May 3) Fryeria picta? from Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/18447

Dear Kristin,

It certainly fits Dave Brunckhorst's definition of this species (- as F. menindie), which suggests we still have some sorting out to do. Brunckhorst considered that species of Fryeria were geographically isolated from each other, and that F. picta was restricted to the western Pacific. Your animal from the Indian Ocean, and other records on the Forum from Thailand, suggest that this species, at least, may be more widespread.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2007 (May 3). Comment on Fryeria picta? from Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia by Kristin Anderson. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/18447

Fryeria menindie and Fryeria picta

July 15, 2006
From: Asther M. Lau

Hello Bill,

I'm a little confused with the ID of this nudibranch. After browsing this forum, I've a feeling this is a Fryeria menindie. However, from another book source, it looked pretty similar to one Fryeria picta which I can't find any info from this forum.

Locality: Tenggol Island, 12 meters, Terengganu, Malaysia, South China Sea, 23 July 2004, Coral reef. Length: About 5cm. Photographer: Asther M. Lau.

Hope you can help me. Thank you.
Asther

asther@astherlau.com

Lau, A, 2006 (Jul 15) Fryeria menindie and Fryeria picta. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/17119

Dear Asther,
I have been a bit slow following the Fryeria menindie - F. picta question up. Fryeria menindie (Brunckhorst, 1993) was considered by Yonow (1996) to be a junior synonym of Phyllidia picta Pruvot-Fol, which Yonow showed was in fact a species of Fryeria. I have moved animals previously identified as F. menindie on the Forum to a new Fryeria picta page.

For those of you who are interested, I am keeping archive copies of replaced Fact Sheets as pdf files, just in case someone needs to check a reference to an old citation. With search engines sneaking into all parts of websites, it would be confusing to keep these archives online, because they would start appearing in searches out of context, but if anyone has a real need for one, they are available on request

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2006 (Jul 15). Comment on Fryeria menindie and Fryeria picta by Asther M. Lau. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/17119

Fryeria? from Rarotonga

May 31, 2006
From: Graham McDonald

Kia orana Bill,
Oone more before I call it a night.

Locality: Ngatangiia, 8 metres, Rarotonga, Cook Islands, South Pacific, 20 April 2002, Coral reef. Length: 20 mm. Photographer: Graham McDonald.

Thanks,
Graham.

images@waterworx.co.ck

McDonald, G, 2006 (May 31) Fryeria? from Rarotonga. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/16710

NOTE: Fryeria menindie (Brunckhorst, 1993) was shown by Yonow, 1996 to be a junior synonym of Fryeria picta Pruvot-Fol. Animals previously identified as F. menindie on the Forum have been moved to Fryeria picta.

Dear Graham,
This a phyllidiid but sometimes a photo of the dorsal surface is not enough in this family. Species of this family have lost the typical circlet of gills found in most dorid nudibranchs, and instead have a series of secondary gill leaflets on the underside of the mantle skirt. However, what I am looking for in this case is any sign of an anal papillae in the posterior midline, because there are two possibilities, Fryeria menindie or Phyllidia madangensis. Of these, the Fryeria as the anus hidden below the mantle skirt, while the Phyllidia has it visible in the posterior midline. I can't see any sign of it in your photo, but as it will be black, like the background colour so it is very difficult to see even in live animals.

My guess is that your animal is a colour form of Fryeria menindie, but I can't be 100% sure.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2006 (May 31). Comment on Fryeria? from Rarotonga by Graham McDonald. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/16710

Fryeria menindie laying eggs

June 7, 2005
From: Michelle Tay & Jeffree Shahrizal

Good day Bill,
Phyllidia species are so common in the waters of Tioman that divers who dive here a lot, stop noticing them. Here is one we found laying eggs on a rock face. Is this Phyllidia coelestis?

Locality:  Soyak Island, off north Tioman Island, Pahang, Malaysia, South China Sea. Depth: 11 metres. Length: 7 cm. 4 June 2005. On rock face of giant boulder of small islet surrounded by coral garden. Photographer: Michelle Tay

Thank you,
Michelle & Jeff

mail@eco-divers.net

Tay, M. & Shahrizal, J., 2005 (Jun 7) Fryeria menindie laying eggs. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/13971

NOTE added 14 July 2006: Fryeria menindie (Brunckhorst, 1993) was shown by Yonow, 1996 to be a junior synonym of Fryeria picta Pruvot-Fol. Animals previously identified as F. menindie on the Forum have been moved to Fryeria picta.

Dear Michelle & Jeff,
It looks a bit like Phyllidia coelestis but it is Fryeria menindie. Species of Fryeria have the anus opening posteriorly below the mantle skirt, rather than on a papillae in the dorsal midline. Some experts consider this difference to be unimportant and consider species of the genus Fryeria should be placed in Phyllidia as well.

Even though some species of the phyllidiids are quite common, we know very little about their biology. If you find them feeding on a particular sponge - often noticeable by a patch in the sponge of a different colour - or laying eggs, I would appreciate some photos. Although its difficult to be sure if an egg mass actually belongs to a particular slug if it is not actually caught laying, this egg mass looks like the few phyllidiid egg ribbons I have seen.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2005 (Jun 7). Comment on Fryeria menindie laying eggs by Michelle Tay & Jeffree Shahrizal. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/13971

Fryeria menindie from Japan

May 17, 2002
From: Shouichi Kato


Dear Bill,
Thank you for your reply about Fryeria and Phyllidia. As you mentioned in your message, I wonder whether there is Fryeria menindie which has a black line on the foot. We continued to search and watch this species, but all of Fryeria menindie we found didn't have a line as attached pictures. So I think the animal, which I sent you pictures before, is not Fryeria menindie but another unknown species. Of course, we need to watch more. Please let us know your opinion.

Best regard,
Shouichi Kato

regulus@edit.ne.jp

Kato, S., 2002 (May 17) Fryeria menindie from Japan. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/6959

NOTE added 14 July 2006: Fryeria menindie (Brunckhorst, 1993) was shown by Yonow, 1996 to be a junior synonym of Fryeria picta Pruvot-Fol. Animals previously identified as F. menindie on the Forum have been moved to Fryeria picta.

Dear Shouichi,
This animal is clearly Fryeria menindie. As I said earlier, your animal with a black stripe on its sole is either a new species of Fryeria or perhaps a species of Phyllidia with an aberrant anus. Or perhaps its evidence favouring the suggestion that the distinction between the genera Phyllidia and Fryeria is not sustainable.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2002 (May 17). Comment on Fryeria menindie from Japan by Shouichi Kato. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/6959

Juvenile Fryeria menindie? from Papua New Guinea

December 21, 2001
From: John Chuk

Dear Bill,
Thanks for your recent help.
Here is yet another phyllidiid that I am unable to identify. This small specimen was found at a depth of 12m at Makaki Point, Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea, on 14 October 1989. The specimen measured 10mm in length. I had considered that it might be a juvenile specimen but I don't know enough about them to be sure.

Once again your help would be appreciated.
Best wishes,
John.

jchuk@giant.net.au

Chuk, J., 2001 (Dec 21) Juvenile Fryeria menindie? from Papua New Guinea. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/5804

NOTE added 14 July 2006: Fryeria menindie (Brunckhorst, 1993) was shown by Yonow, 1996 to be a junior synonym of Fryeria picta Pruvot-Fol. Animals previously identified as F. menindie on the Forum have been moved to Fryeria picta.

Dear John,
This is almost certainly a juvenile Fryeria menindie. It seems to lack any yellow pigment, which is not unusual in juveniles and sometimes in larger animals as well [see Leslie Chan's photo from Hong Kong].
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2001 (Dec 21). Comment on Juvenile Fryeria menindie? from Papua New Guinea by John Chuk. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/5804

Fryeria menindie from Papua New Guinea

December 10, 2001
From: John Chuk

Dear Bill,
Here is another phyllid that I'm unable to identify. This one was photographed on 31/10/1989 in Kieta Harbour, Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea. It was 26mm in length and found at a depth of 10m.

Any help with identification would be appreciated.

Best wishes,
John.

jchuk@giant.net.au

Chuk, J., 2001 (Dec 10) Fryeria menindie from Papua New Guinea. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/5782

NOTE added 14 July 2006: Fryeria menindie (Brunckhorst, 1993) was shown by Yonow, 1996 to be a junior synonym of Fryeria picta Pruvot-Fol. Animals previously identified as F. menindie on the Forum have been moved to Fryeria picta.

Dear John,
This is Fryeria menindie, one of a number of very similarly coloured species, including the common Phyllidia varicosa. Species of Fryeria can be distinguished by the position of the anus - below the mantle skirt in the posterior midline, rather than in the dorsal midline. Unfortunately this is not a character which can often be seen in photos.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2001 (Dec 10). Comment on Fryeria menindie from Papua New Guinea by John Chuk. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/5782

Fryeria menindie from Hong Kong

July 16, 2001
From: Leslie Chan

Dear Bill,

Could you identify this nudibranch which I photographed in Hong Kong.
Details: 7m, Kau Sai Chau, Hong Kong. 26 October 2000.

Thanks
Leslie Chan

leslie@lesmart.com

Chan, L., 2001 (Jul 16) Fryeria menindie from Hong Kong. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/4766

NOTE added 14 July 2006: Fryeria menindie (Brunckhorst, 1993) was shown by Yonow, 1996 to be a junior synonym of Fryeria picta Pruvot-Fol. Animals previously identified as F. menindie on the Forum have been moved to Fryeria picta.

Dear Leslie,
This is Fryeria menindie.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2001 (Jul 16). Comment on Fryeria menindie from Hong Kong by Leslie Chan. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/4766

Fryeria menindie from Sulawesi

April 7, 2001
From: Lindsay Warren

Dear Bill
The attached phyllidiid (OS0649) does not seem to fit descriptions I have been able to read and wonder whether you might be able to shed some light on it. I thought it might be Fryeria menindie but am not convinced. I found it on 27 August 1999 on Pulau Kaledupa, Tukang Besi Archipelago, SE Sulawesi at a depth of 20 ft on encrusting sponge. Size: 26 mm. [Operation Wallacea]
Interestingly enough there are two copepods with egg sacks on the notum - one just behind the right rhinophore and the other half way down the notum. At the time we did not know the importance of checking ventral features and no information on this was kept and sadly we did not preserve it. We have found other specimens of 'regular' Fryeria menindie. Photo: Lindsay
Warren.

Perhaps it will have to remain a mystery until we can find further specimens. Looking forward to your comments.
All the best
Lindsay

alldcl@compuserve.com

Warren, L., 2001 (Apr 7) Fryeria menindie from Sulawesi. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/4129

NOTE added 14 July 2006: Fryeria menindie (Brunckhorst, 1993) was shown by Yonow, 1996 to be a junior synonym of Fryeria picta Pruvot-Fol. Animals previously identified as F. menindie on the Forum have been moved to Fryeria picta.

Dear Lindsay,
It certainly looks like F. menindie but the hint of a broken ridge down the midline is very similar to F. marindica.

Without further information there's not much more I can say
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2001 (Apr 7). Comment on Fryeria menindie from Sulawesi by Lindsay Warren. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/4129

Fryeria menindie from the Solomon Ids

February 9, 2001
From: Mary Jane Adams


Hi Bill,
I believe these are both Fryeria menindie. They were about 5 cm long and were found in about 5 meters on silty sand, patch reef divesites.

Upper Photo: White Beach, Sunlight Channel, Russell group of the Solomon Islands, November, 2000.

Lower Photo: Luadi, Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea, March, 1999.

Best regards,
Mary Jane

divepng@yahoo.com

Adams, M.J., 2001 (Feb 9) Fryeria menindie from the Solomon Ids. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/3627

NOTE added 14 July 2006: Fryeria menindie (Brunckhorst, 1993) was shown by Yonow, 1996 to be a junior synonym of Fryeria picta Pruvot-Fol. Animals previously identified as F. menindie on the Forum have been moved to Fryeria picta.

Dear Mary Jane,
I agree that they're Fryeria menindie
Bill Rudman


Fryeria menindie from Indonesia

December 31, 2000
From: Yasman

Dear Bill,
I found this specimen of Fryeria menindie at a depth of 50 feet in Karang Lebar Atoll, Thousand Islands, Indonesia.
Regards,
Yasman

y.yasman@mailcity.com

Yasman, 2000 (Dec 31) Fryeria menindie from Indonesia. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/3340

NOTE added 14 July 2006: Fryeria menindie (Brunckhorst, 1993) was shown by Yonow, 1996 to be a junior synonym of Fryeria picta Pruvot-Fol. Animals previously identified as F. menindie on the Forum have been moved to Fryeria picta.

Thanks Yasman,
Bill Rudman


Fryeria menindie from Indonesia

July 20, 2000
From: Aloysia Murni Shintosari

Dear Bill,

Here is another phyllidiid from Thousand Island, Jakarta Bay, Java, Indonesia.

Thank you, hope to hear from you
in the near future.

Aloysia

biomurni@biology.aau.dk

Shintosari, A.M., 2000 (Jul 20) Fryeria menindie from Indonesia. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/2725

NOTE added 14 July 2006: Fryeria menindie (Brunckhorst, 1993) was shown by Yonow, 1996 to be a junior synonym of Fryeria picta Pruvot-Fol. Animals previously identified as F. menindie on the Forum have been moved to Fryeria picta.

Dear Aloysia,
This is Fryeria menindie. It looks quite like Phyllidia varicosa but in this species, and other species of Fryeria the anus opens beneath the mantle skirt in the posterior midline.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman.

Rudman, W.B., 2000 (Jul 20). Comment on Fryeria menindie from Indonesia by Aloysia Murni Shintosari. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/2725

Fryeria menindie from Thailand

April 7, 2000
From: Narongpon Sittithaweepat

Dear Bill

I am not sure if this specimen is Fryeria menindie. I found it at Surin Island. So could you please identify it for me.

Thank you for your kindness again
Narongpon

chromodorid@thaimail.com

Sittithaweepat, N., 2000 (Apr 7) Fryeria menindie from Thailand. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/2210

NOTE added 14 July 2006: Fryeria menindie (Brunckhorst, 1993) was shown by Yonow, 1996 to be a junior synonym of Fryeria picta Pruvot-Fol. Animals previously identified as F. menindie on the Forum have been moved to Fryeria picta.

Dear Narongpon,

It certainly seems to be Fryeria menindie, which is quite an interesting find. David Brunckhorst (1993) considered this species to be a western Pacific species, the only records outside this region he knew of were from northwestern Australia, which he considered arose from the Timor Sea connection of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Your find would suggest a much wider distribution of this species, at least into the eastern Indian Ocean.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman.

Rudman, W.B., 2000 (Apr 7). Comment on Fryeria menindie from Thailand by Narongpon Sittithaweepat. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/2210

Fryeria menindie? from North-western Australia

March 18, 2000
From: Barbara Harvey

Dear Dr Rudman,

Could you identify this Phyllidia sp from Ashmore Reef, NW Australia, Indian Ocean, November 1999

Thanks in advance,

Barbara Harvey.

bilby@mpx.com.au

Harvey, B., 2000 (Mar 18) Fryeria menindie? from North-western Australia. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/2101

NOTE added 14 July 2006: Fryeria menindie (Brunckhorst, 1993) was shown by Yonow, 1996 to be a junior synonym of Fryeria picta Pruvot-Fol. Animals previously identified as F. menindie on the Forum have been moved to Fryeria picta.

Dear Barbara,
This is an interesting find. It is Fryeria menindie which Brunckhorst, 1993 said is restricted to the western Pacific. He did however refer to an unusual record Willan & Coleman, 1987 from northwestern Australia. Your photo confirms the presence of this species at least in the northern Australia - Timor Sea area.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman.

Rudman, W.B., 2000 (Mar 18). Comment on Fryeria menindie? from North-western Australia by Barbara Harvey. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/2101

Fryeria menindie from the Philippines

February 27, 1999
From: Erwin Koehler

Dear Bill,
this one: divesite BBC, Panglao Is., Philippines, Nov. 1998. Is it Phyllidia varicosa or Fryeria?

Erwin
PS. I will go this weekend to the Philippines again: Negros, Cabilao and Panglao (island-hopping) for 3 weeks.

E.Koehler@deutschepost.de

Koehler, E., 1999 (Feb 27) Fryeria menindie from the Philippines. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/621

NOTE added 14 July 2006: Fryeria menindie (Brunckhorst, 1993) was shown by Yonow, 1996 to be a junior synonym of Fryeria picta Pruvot-Fol. Animals previously identified as F. menindie on the Forum have been moved to Fryeria picta.

Dear Erwin,
It's almost certainly Fryeria menindie which makes it an interesting range extension. I hope the weather's good and you make some more interesting finds in the next three weeks.
Bill Rudman.

Rudman, W.B., 1999 (Feb 27). Comment on Fryeria menindie from the Philippines by Erwin Koehler. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/621