Unknown Elysia from East Timor

July 29, 2008
From: Brian Francisco

Hi Bill

If I had to take a really wild guess I'd say this is some species of Elysiidae. There are actually two individuals [middle photo ] but the darker individual was impossible to see, let alone focus on. In addition to being quite small (~5 mm) they were brilliantly camouflaged.

Locality: One Tree, 18 meters, East Timor, Banda Sea, 26 July 2008, coral reef. Length: 5 mm. Photographer: Brian Francisco.

They moved in a peculiar way, rocking or surging, and moving their lateral flaps forward and backward. This was the only way we spotted them.

Each of the slugs has bright red bars just behind the head and appear to be covered with spikes or thorns. One individual has a white thorny protrusion just below his right rhinophore [upper photo ].

Any idea what this is?

Thanks
Brian
www.uwet.net

francisco.brian@gmail.com

Francisco, B., 2008 (Jul 29) Unknown Elysia from East Timor. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/21747

Dear Brian,

I wouldn't mind betting this is the same species as Jun Imamoto's animal from Japan [#10563] with a blue spot just where your animal has a red spot. Not that that gets us much closer to an identification so I will add this to the Elysia cf. tomentosa page. I am afraid this is a 'lost souls' page for papillate species until we can do better. Perhaps Kathe Jensen can give us some help.

The white thorny protrusion is its everted penis.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2008 (Jul 29). Comment on Unknown Elysia from East Timor by Brian Francisco. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/21747

Factsheet

Elysia cf. tomentosa

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