Sclerodoris ? from the Mariana Islands
August 4, 2008
From: Yuji Fujie
Dear Dr.Bill,
Here I have three pictures. At first, we thought this was Sebadoris nubilosa, but this animal has a different style of papillae, underside of the mantle and foot.
How about Sclerodoris apiculata? .
Locality: Eelgrass Beds, Garapan, 1.5 m, Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, Pacific Ocean, 18 July 2007, Crawling on the sand. Length: 100 mm. Photographer: Yuji Fujie.
Would you tell us identify this animal, please ?
Best regards.
Yuji
dswith@isletwind.com
Yuji Fujie, 2008 (Aug 4) Sclerodoris ? from the Mariana Islands. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/20265
Dear Yuji,
This is quite a large animal. It certainly looks to me like a species of Sclerodoris but the fine reticulate ridges on the mantle and the multiple branching of the papillae don't really fit with specimens of S. apiculata that I am familiar with. Unless someone recognises this animal from the photos I suspect this is one species will will need to be dissected before we can decide even which genera to place it in.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
