Melibe digitata
Gosliner & Smith, 2003
Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DENDRONOTINA
Family: Tethydidae
DISTRIBUTION
Known only from the Philippines at present.
PHOTO
Anilao, Luzon Island, Philippines. Depth: 30 ft. Length: 30 mm. April, 2002. Photographer: Jeff Rosenfeld
The body is a translucent brown or greenish brown, the colour darkening in the branched region of the cerata. The branches of the digestive gland are easily seen throught the body wall. There are also opaque white tubercles scattered over the dorsum, oral hood and ceratal walls. The most distinctive feature of this species is the presence of finely branched papillae on the cerata, giving the appearance of a clump of brown algae.
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Gosliner, T. M. and Smith, V. G. (2003) Systematic review and phylogenetic analysis of the nudibranch genus Melibe (Opisthobranchia: Dendronotacea) with descriptions of three new species. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 54: 302-355.
Rudman, W.B., 2005 (September 23) Melibe digitata Gosliner & Smith, 2003. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/melidigi
