Ercolania subviridis
(Baba, 1959)

Order: SACOGLOSSA
Superfamily: LIMAPONTIOIDEA
Family: Limapontiidae

DISTRIBUTION

Known only from Japan

PHOTO

west coast of Okinawajima, Okinawa, Japan, East China Sea. Depth: 1 m. Length: several mm (data in Japan). 10-15 March 2005. low intertidal to shallow subtidal rocky shores. Photographer: Tomohiro Watanabe

Small aeolidiform sacoglossan, less than 10 mm long. Rhinophores, long and simple, with only a trace of a longitudinal groove at the base. The foot corners are rounded and the cerata are long and fusiform, narrowing to a rounded tip. The body is translucent yellowish with the finely branched green digestive gland showing through the body wall. There is a central core in each ceras consisting of green branches of the digestive gland and whitish albumen gland. Thin green longitudinal ducts of the digestive gland run up the inner side of the ceratal wall, giving each ceras a characteristic green-lined appearance.

Baba also described a red marking at the anterior end of pericardial prominence. In the accompanying photo on the Foruma  reddish patch is present about halfway down the body. Baba mentioned Ercolania subviridis on a "green alga"... Trowbrideg recently reports it on  Boodlea sp. in Okinawa [#13387 ].

• Baba, K. (1959) The family Stiligeridae from Japan (Opisthobranchia - Sacoglossa). Publications of the Seto Marine Biological Laboratory, 7: 327-334

Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 2005 (March 22) Ercolania subviridis (Baba, 1959). [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/ercosubv

Copyright © Australian Museum, 1998-2010