Phyllidiopsis fissuratus
Brunckhorst, 1993

Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DORIDINA
Family: Phyllidiidae

DISTRIBUTION

Known from southwestern tropical Pacific (Fiji, central Great Barrier Reef to Lord Howe Island).

PHOTO

UPPER: 9m, Flinders Reef, N of Cape Moreton, sthn Queensland, March 1984. Dorsal view of 79mm animal, holotype (Brunckhorst, 1993: Plate 9C).
LOWER: Ventral view (Brunckhorst, 1993: Plate 9D).
PHOTOS: R.C. Willan.

Notes from Brunckhorst,1993:
Phyllidiopsis fissuratus grows to about 79mm. has black background to dorsum and many tall, pale pink tubercles. The rhinophores are pink with a black tip and a black line down the posterior edge. It also has a translucent raised rim around the raised rhinophore pockets and a smooth tall raised pink anal papilla.

Two other species with similarly coloured rhinophores:
Phyllidiopsis pipeki, which has bright pink colouration and consistently two straight black longitudinal lines only, rounded white tubercles (not multicompound).
Phyllidiopsis krempfi, Large species characterised by predominantly pink coloration, and broad based multicompound tubercles with paler apices. Apart from two primary longitudinal black lines, other black lines of variable size occur irregularly. Rhinophores pink on anterior face and around base, black on apex and posterior face.

Reference:
• Brunckhorst, D.J. (1993) The systematics and phylogeny of Phyllidiid Nudibranchs (Doridoidea). Records of the Australian Museum, Supplement 16: 1-107.

Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 1998 (December 12) Phyllidiopsis fissuratus Brunckhorst, 1993. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/phylfiss

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