Phyllidia flava
Aradas, 1847

Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DORIDINA
Family: Phyllidiidae

DISTRIBUTION

Mediterranean Sea, Canary Ids.

PHOTO

6 m depth, Zaffiro Cave, Sorrentine Peninsula, Italy, May 1979, dorsal view of 20 mm specimen, Photo: R. Cattaneo-Vietti (Brunckhorst, 1993: Plate 2C).

Notes compiled from Brunckhorst, 1993:
Phyllidia flava is bright yellow with contrasting large white tubercles. Smaller tubercles are yellow. As Phyllidia flava lacks black pigmentation it is easily distinguished from all of its conspecifics. Phyllidia ocellata is the only other species with a gold background colour to the dorsum that sometimes has white capped tubercles. However P. ocellata is a large species which has black, often circular, regions on the dorsum. Ventrally, P. ocellata is coloured grey. It is the only species of Phyllidia recognised from the Mediterranean Sea.

References:
• Brunckhorst, D.J. (1993) The systematics and phylogeny of Phyllidiid Nudibranchs (Doridoidea). Records of the Australian Museum, Supplement 16: 1-107.
• Maeri, G. (1986) Notes and remarks on Pruvot-Fol, 1962. La Conchiglia, Number 208-209: 1-5.

Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 1999 (January 12) Phyllidia flava Aradas, 1847. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/phylflav

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