Purple gill coloration in Durvilledoris pusilla

January 13, 2009
From: Hugues Flodrops


Concerning message #12980:

Dear Bill and everyone,
Happy new year!
Here is a Durvilledoris pusilla with upper half of the seven gills with purple coloration. These variant in gills was noted by P. Bidgrain in message #12980.

Locality: Etang-Salé "Permanent Pool, 1 metre, Reunion Island, Indian Ocean, 31 December 2008 . Length: 18 mm. Photographer: Hugues Flodrops.

Best regards.
Hugues.

hugues.flodrops@wanadoo.fr

Flodrops,H., 2009 (Jan 13) Purple gill coloration in Durvilledoris pusilla. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/22126

Dear Hugues,

As the page on the Noumea purpurea Colour Group  illlustrates, there are a number of species with very similar colour patterns. The only way to resolve some identification puzzles is to look at their internal anatomy. Certainly the gill colour in your specimens, with an orange base and a purple tip is unusual for Durvilledoris pusilla, but I know of no other species with the same pattern of pink 'tongues' with purple edging extending out into the yellow mantle margin. It would be valuable if anyone with photos of this species could check to see if they have a photo of an animal showing an 'intermediate' gill colour. 

Interestingly, this gill colour reminds me of that found in Durvilledoris lemniscata. I am pretty sure Scott Johnson's animal which I have on the Forum as Durvilledoris cf pusilla, is an extreme form of your animal.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2009 (Jan 13). Comment on Purple gill coloration in Durvilledoris pusilla by Hugues Flodrops. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/22126

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Durvilledoris pusilla

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