Sakuraeolis sakuracea
Hirano, 1999

Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: AEOLIDINA
Family: Glaucidae

DISTRIBUTION

Known only from Japan. [Sagami Bay (Baba, 1949): Kominato, Boso Peninsula, Mukaishima, Inland Sea of Japan (Hirano, 1999)].

PHOTO

Kominato, Boso Peninsula, 3 meter deep, from the hydroid Solanderia misakiensis. PHOTOS: Yoshi Hirano.

The body, rhinophores and oral tentacles are translucent white. The visceral mass is pink and can be seen through the body surface. The cerata are opaque pinkish white and the digestive gland lobes are hardly visible. The jaws are reddish pink and visible from the body surface. The inner surface of the groove on the anterior margin of the foot is reddish brown.

It grows to 45 mm in length. The oral tentacles and rhinophores are all smooth on the surface and the former are rather longer than the latter. The foot comers are tentacular and the frontal margin of the foot is transversely grooved. The tail is long being one-third of the total length. The cerata are lanceolate, arising from slightly elevated pads and arranged in horse-shoe shaped clusters.

Sakuraeolis sakuracea has also been found on the hydroid Solanderia misakiensis (Inaba), and it feeds on the polyps of the hydroid. The spawn is also laid on the hydroid colony. The egg mass is white and consists of a thin undulate coil (type B: Hurst, 1967) containing small eggs of similar size to those of Sakuraeolis gerberina.

This species and S. gerberina have been previously misidentified as Rizzolia modesta Bergh, 1880. See Yoshi Hirano's message for further photos.
See comparison of radulae of S. gerbera and S. sakuracea.

Reference:
• Hirano, Y.J. (1999) Two new species of Sakuraeolis from Japan. Venus, Japanese Journal of Malacology, 58(4): 191-199.

Authorship details
Hirano, Y.J., 2000 (April 5) Sakuraeolis sakuracea Hirano, 1999. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/sakusaku

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