Melibe bucephala
Bergh, 1902
Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DENDRONOTINA
Family: Tethydidae
DISTRIBUTION
Known only from Thailand
NOTE: see my comments [# 13326 ] on records of Melibe megaceras from the Red Sea identified as Melibe bucephala, and Kathe Jensen's message [#13409] concerning the holotype of M. bucephala.
It is difficult to be sure what Melibe bucephala is. Bergh described it on the basis of a single preserved animal from Thailand, in which most of the cerata had neem lost. No illustration is available of the living animal. In Gosliner's revision (1987) he lists some distinguishing features including rhinophore sheath - flattened and leaflike, and the oral hood with 5 rows of papillae. Bergh describes jaw plates in M. bucephala.. There is no sure way of confidently re-identifying Bergh's M. bucephala.
-
Bergh, L.S.R. (1902) The Danish Expedition to Siam 1899-1900. 1. Gasteropoda Opisthobranchiata. Det Kongelige Danske Videnskabernes Selskabs Skrifter. 6 Raekke. 12(2): 153-218. (Pls.1-3)
Rudman, W.B., 2005 (March 24) Melibe bucephala Bergh, 1902. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/melibuce
