Pruvotfolia pselliotes from Turkey

October 30, 2001
From: Bernard Picton

Hi Bill,
Baki's photo isn't of an animal I've seen, but I'm sure that it is Pruvotfolia pselliotes (Labbe, 1923). I've just looked at Tardy's paper of 1969 and there are black and white photos as well as all the detail you could ask for. In creating the new genus he describes the odd modified cerata associated with the genital opening which are the basis of the new genus. Terry Gosliner synonymises Facelina faurei Barnard, 1927 from South Africa in his book, Nudibranchs of southern Africa, but it looks significantly different from these pictures - in particular it doesn't have the same markings on the oral tentacles (and you know my dislike of 'the cosmopolitan species concept' as I heard it called at a recent taxonomic workshop). I can't see the rhinophore lamellae in Baki's picture but everything else seems to fit well. I'll have a go at writing a page for you if you like.

I see Erwin Koehler includes this species in his list of Mediterranean species, though Tardy says it has only been found on the Atlantic coast of France. Gary MacDonald has the only other citation as Ortea & Urgorri, but I guess this would be the Galicia coast of Spain (also Atlantic) so I don't think it has been reported from inside the Mediterranean.

References:
• TARDY, J. P. 1969. Un nouveau genre de nudibranche méconnu des côtes Atlantique et de la Manche: Pruvotfolia (nov. g.) pselliotes, (Labbe) 1923. Vie et Milieu (A), Biologie Marine, 20(2): 327-346, 6 pls.
• ORTEA, J. A., & V. URGORRI. 1981a. Runcina ferruginea Kress 1977, et Pruvotfolia pselliotes (Labbe, 1923) dans les eaux Ibériques. Vie et Milieu, 31(2): 149-151.

Bernard

bernard.picton.um@nics.gov.uk

Picton, B.E. , 2001 (Oct 30) Pruvotfolia pselliotes from Turkey. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/5591

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