Polybranchia pallens
(Burn, 1957)

Order: SACOGLOSSA
Superfamily: LIMAPONTIOIDEA
Family: Caliphyllidae

DISTRIBUTION

Temperate southeastern Australia.

PHOTO

Flinders, Westernport Bay, Victoria, Australia, March 1986. Lower picture showing well-camouflaged animal in algal covered pool. PHOTOS: Bill Rudman.

Very similar in shape and anatomy to its tropical counterpart Polybranchia orientalis, it is reported by Bob Burn to have direct developing eggs. The egg mass contains 12-35 large eggs from which emerge 4mm long, bright pink slugs, with rhinophores and cerata.

Reference:
• Burn, R. (1957). On some opisthobranchia from Victoria. Journal of the Malacological Society of Australia, 1: 1-20.

Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 1999 (July 5) Polybranchia pallens (Burn, 1957). [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/polypall