Possible colour variant of Thuridilla splendens?

April 2, 2008
From: Gary Cobb


Concerning message #20843:

Hi Bill and everyone!
During Sunday's dive at a newly found spot we dubbed Bornella Reef, I came across this unusual colour variation of a very common species here ... Thuridilla splendens. I could be wrong! As you can clearly see there are no blue spots, just bands of colour which match the species we find here.
I have included the in situ photo so you can where it resides.

Locality: Old Woman Island, Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast, 14 m, Queensland, Australia, Pacific Ocean, 14 October 2007, Subtidal. Length: 24 mm. Photographer: Gary Cobb.


Cheers
Gary Cobb

gary@nudibranch.com.au

Cobb, G.C., 2008 (Apr 2) Possible colour variant of Thuridilla splendens?. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/20966

Dear Gary,

Thanks for these photos. It raises an interesting point - are T. splendens and T. lineolata extremes of one species, or are we mixing some spotted T. lineolata with T. splendens? I am pretty sure your photos here are of T. lineolata, which make me wonder if earlier photos I have identified as T. splendens are also T. lineolata? [See messages #3108; #15146; #19765] and perhaps even your spotted animals in #20630.

If these animals are very common in your normal diving haunts then it would be valuable to keep an eye out for mating events - not that commonly seen I suspect - or color forms which illustrate a link between the 'lined' animal in this message and the more 'normal' blue spotted animals.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2008 (Apr 2). Comment on Possible colour variant of Thuridilla splendens? by Gary Cobb. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/20966

Factsheet

Thuridilla lineolata

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