Siphopteron michaeli
(Gosliner & Williams, 1988)

Order: CEPHALASPIDEA
Superfamily: PHILINOIDEA
Family: Gastropteridae

DISTRIBUTION

Known only from Reunion Island, Indian Ocean

PHOTO

Reunion Island, Indian Ocean. Depth: 50 cm. Length: 3 mm. under dead coral. Photographer: Maurice Jay

The animal is uniformly yellow or yellow-orange, with large elongate dark brown spots on the head shield and visceral hump, and outer side of the parapodia. There is one large elongate spot in the dorsal midline of the posterior foot. Until more specimens are discovered it is not possible to say whether the spots are arranged in a particular pattern although it sems as though in the specimens photographed here there the posterior edge of the headshield and the siphon are dark brown, and the markings of the head shield appear to be arranged symmetrically.

The posterior end of the headshield is folded to form a central siphon with a median crest. There is no flagellum present on the visceral hump. It grows to approximately 5mm in length. 

• Gosliner, T.M. & Williams, T. M. (1988) A new species of Gastropteron (Gastropoda: Opisthobranchia) from Reunion Island, Indian Ocean. The Veliger, 30(3), 315-318.
• Gosliner, T.M. (1989) Revision of the Gastropteridae (Opisthobranchia: Cephalaspidea) with descriptions of a new genus and six new species. The Veliger, 32(4): 333-381. (Figs 1-32)

Copyright © Australian Museum, 1998-2010