Platydoris pulchra from Zanzibar
May 21, 2009
From: Bill Rudman
Vie Panyarachun's message [#22283] made me realise that all the photos at present on the Forum of Platydoris pulchraare rather different in colour from Eliot's original descripton from East Africa. In fact one animal [message #18679] may be Platydoris ellioti rather than P. pulchra. I am also posting a photo of P. ellioti from Tanzania [message #22490]
Locality: Fumba, Zanzibar, Tanzania. under rocks on reef flat. 2 specimens 50 mm and 45 mm long alive. 6 August 1971. Photo: Bill Rudman.
They were photographed in rather primitive conditions - which is my excuse for the out of focus bits - but they show the basic elements of the colour pattern as described by Eliot - reddish brown background colour with darker blotches, and bluish blotches around the mantle edge. In my field notes I record that the underside of the mantle is a bright yellow orange with red brown blotches around the edge and finer stippling over the rest of the mantle skirt.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman.
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