Re: Phyllodesmium magnum from Thailand
January 23, 2004
From: Paul Whitehead
Dear Dr. Rudman,
I believe this may be a Phyllodesmium magnum(?)
A pair were seen, one being about 50 mm in length and the other 80-100 mm at a depth of 18 meters at Hin Plueng, an underwater mount close to Rayong and Sattaheap in Thailand. The mount is in an area in which the bottom is mixed sand and silt and you can see silt in the photographs. This is first time I have encountered such a nudibranch in this area, where I dive regulary. I also noted from reading your other posts that this may not be a common occurrence in the Thai Gulf area.
Paul Whitehead
whitehead@damnam.org
Whitehead, P., 2004 (Jan 23) Re: Phyllodesmium magnum from Thailand. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/11983Thanks Paul,
Yes this certainly looks like Phyllodesmium magnum. In your photos it seems to be on a hard coral. Was it putj tere for the photo? Why I ask is that this species is only known to feed on soft-corals, in particular species of the the genus Sinularia. It is possible it may eat other soft corals but I would be surprised if it also ate hard corals.
I can't really say whether it is uncommon in Thailand or not as we know so little about the species. I suspect it is not uncommon, but I guess it will take a few years of observations for us toe get a real idea of its distribution and abundance
Best wishes
Bill Rudman
Related messages
-
Phyllodesmium from Lembeh, Indonesia
From: Brian Mayes, March 2, 2009 -
Phyllodesmium magnum from Nhatrang, Vietnam
From: Hua Thai Tuyen, June 5, 2008 -
Re: Phyllodesmium magnum on Sinularia
From: Gary Cobb, April 4, 2008 -
Re: Phyllodesmium magnum on Sinularia
From: Gary Cobb, April 4, 2008 -
Phyllodesmium magnum juveniles
From: Gary Cobb, April 3, 2008 -
Re: Phyllodesmium magnum on Sinularia
From: Gary Cobb, April 3, 2008 -
Phyllodesmium magnum on Sinularia soft coral
From: David Mullins, October 17, 2007 -
Phyllodesmium magnum - trailing observation
From: Jean-François Hervé, September 5, 2006 -
Phyllodesmium magnum pair from the Red Sea
From: Binyamin Koretz, October 13, 2005 -
Phyllodesmium magnum from Elat, the Red Sea
From: Matan Ninio, April 13, 2005 -
Re: Phyllodesmium magnum from Thailand
From: Paul Whitehead, January 25, 2004 -
Phyllodesmium magnum on Sinularia
From: Cameron Bee, January 17, 2003 -
Phyllodesmium magnum from the Marshall Islands
From: Scott Johnson, September 11, 2002 -
Unknown reef tank inhabitant
From: Dean Burchell, July 23, 2002 -
Reef Tank Hitchhiker
From: Mike Nolette, May 21, 2002 -
Phyllodesmium magnum - size?
From: Valda Fraser, April 10, 2002 -
Food of orange Phyllodesmium magnum
From: Leslie Chan, September 11, 2001 -
An orange Phyllodesmium magnum from Hong Kong
From: Leslie Chan, September 9, 2001 -
Phyllodesmium magnum from Queensland
From: Nigel Holmes, July 10, 2001 -
Phyllodesmium magnum from South Africa
From: Valda Fraser, May 26, 2001 -
Phyllodesmium magnum from Hong Kong
From: Bernard Picton , March 4, 2001 -
Phyllodesmium magnum from Japan
From: Yasuhiro Shirai, November 23, 1999