Is this a variant of Phyllidia ocellata?

August 13, 2005
From: Sue Griffith

I've searched in various books and on websites to try and identify the attached nudibranch. It has the coloration of Phyllidian ocellata but does not have any ocellations. It looks somewhat like Phyllidia exquisita, although the coloration didn't really match any photos I found of this species.

Locality: Mabul Island, Malaysia (Borneo) Celebes Sea. Depth: ~50 feet. Length: ??approx. 3-4 cm. May 2005. Reef. Photographer: Sue Griffith

I'd be grateful for an expert's opinion!
Many thanks,
Sue Griffith.

2emailsue@gmail.com

Griffith, S, 2005 (Aug 13) Is this a variant of Phyllidia ocellata?. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/14518

Dear Sue,
I hesitate to assume the mantle of an 'expert'. The more I look at phyllidiids, the more I realise we still have a lot to learn. An animal from Madang, Papua New Guinea which looks very like yours was identified by Brunckhost (1993) as P. ocellata, but most specimens do not have a black median band on the mantle like yours - and Phyllidia exquisita doesn't have such a band. If it is P. ocellata it suggests the species ranges from typical animals with black rings or ocelli, through forms such as 'P. ocellata undula' with a wavy black line down each side of the mantle, to forms such as yours.

It is an interesting addition to the puzzle
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2005 (Aug 13). Comment on Is this a variant of Phyllidia ocellata? by Sue Griffith. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/14518

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Phyllidia ocellata

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