Berthella cf. africana

Order: NOTASPIDEA
Superfamily: PLEUROBRANCHOIDEA
Family: Pleurobranchidae

PHOTO

Upper: Marshall Ids, 17mm long.
Lower: Hawaiian Ids, approx 35mm long. Photos: Scott Johnson.

Note added 13 January 2009: This is Pleurobranchus caledonicus Risbec, 1928, which is most probably a species of Berthella.

I can't find any reference to animals of this colour being previously found in the Pacific. They have a close resemblance to Berthella africana. In particular they closely resemble the paintings in Pruvot-Fol's original description [see message ]. I don't know of any other species with that characteristic dark brown patch in the centre of the mantle.

Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 2002 (September 9) Berthella cf. africana [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/bertcfafri