Thuridilla gracilis from Great Barrier Reef

August 12, 2000
From: Stuart Hutchison

Dear Bill,
Do you know what species this is?
It was found at 8m on mossy rock at Flinders Reef (Great Barrier Reef - Australia) in March 2000.

Stuart Hutchison

hutchco@tpg.com.au

Hutchison, S., 2000 (Aug 12) Thuridilla gracilis from Great Barrier Reef. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/2869

Dear Stuart,
This is a sacoglossan rather than a nudibranch. It belongs to a 'species' or group of species with white lines or rows of white streaks down the parapodia and body. Sometimes there is an orange border to the parapodia and foot, and the tips of the rhinophores are orange, and sometimes there is a row of blue streaks near the parapodial edge. Your animal is one that lacks the orange but has the blue spots.

As I explain at the top of the page, a recent review of the genus (Gosliner, 1995) identifies this as Thuridilla bayeri, but if the range of colour variation doess belong to one species, then the earliest name for this species must be Risbec's T. gracilis. I have posted a copy of Risbec's painting [Pl.10,fig 5] alongside.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman.

Rudman, W.B., 2000 (Aug 12). Comment on Thuridilla gracilis from Great Barrier Reef by Stuart Hutchison. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/2869

Factsheet

Thuridilla gracilis

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