Okenia purpurata from Singapore

Dear Chay Hoon,
This is an interesring discovery. With the proviso that we know nothing of the anatomy of your animal, it is identical in external shape and colour to Okenia purpurata and is almost certainly that species. New South Wales, on the east coast of Australia, has a marine fauna which is an interesting mixture of tropical Indo-West Pacific species, endemic eastern Australian species and southern Australian species. So when we find a 'new' species in New South Wales it is difficult to know just which part of the fauna it belongs to. That's why on the Fact Sheet I have written 'Known only from northern New South Wales, eastern Australia' rather than endemic to New South Wales.

Now, thanks to your find, I will be able to change that to suggest that it probably has a wide Indo-West Pacific distribution. One complicating factor is that it is possible that this species, like some other species of Okenia, is a 'tramp' species travelling the world on the bottom of boats in association with its food bryozoan. I guess we will just have to wait and see where we next get a sighting

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman