Thorunna purpuropedis
Rudman & Johnson, 1985

Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DORIDINA
Family: Chromodorididae

DISTRIBUTION

At present known only from the Enewetak Atoll, Marshall Islands.

PHOTO

Enewetak Atoll, Marshall Islands, 10mm long alive, August, 1981. PHOTO: Scott Johnson

The body is elongate with a relatively narrow mantle margin. The anterior edge of the mantle is held horizontally while the sides fold down giving the animal a spatulate appearance. The mantle is purplish white with a broad orange band abound the edge, the inner half of the band appearing more opaque. On the inside edge of the orange border is an irregular line of red, usually thin but widening in places to give the appearance of a row of red spots.

The rhinophore stalks are transparent and the club has a whitish core, the lamellae being red. The seven gills are simply pinnate, coloured watery red, more opaque at the edges. They wave rhythmically and are arranged in a circle around the anus. The foot is pale purple, deepening posteriorly and on the oral tentacles. The posterior end of the foot extends beyond the end of the mantle when the animal is crawling.

Reference:
• Rudman, W.B. (1985) The Chromodorididae (Opisthobranchia: Mollusca) of the Indo-West Pacific: Chromodoris aureomarginata, C. verrieri and C. fidelis colour groups. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 83: 241-299.

Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 1998 (November 11) Thorunna purpuropedis Rudman & Johnson, 1985. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/thorpurp

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