Phyllidiella rudmani
Brunckhorst, 1993

Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DORIDINA
Superfamily: EUDORIDOIDEA
Family: Phyllidiidae

DISTRIBUTION

Known from the tropical western Pacific Ocean and eastern Indian Ocean.

PHOTO

UPPER: 18-24 m depth, Horseshoe Reef, outer barrier reef, south east of Port Moresby, PNG, 21 June 1988, dorsal view of 32 mm specimen on food sponge, Phakellia sp. (Brunckhorst, 1993: Plate 7C); LOWER: 4-10 m depth, Phi Phi Island, southern Thailand, 25 Nov. 1989, dorsal view of 23 and 28 mm specimens (Brunckhorst, 1993: Plate 7D).

Notes compiled from Brunckhorst, 1993:
Phyllidiella rudmani is characterised by its pale pink notum with two black stripes, and the black and pink banded rhinophores. Ventrally, the foot and oral tentacles are white. Phyllidiella pustulosa , Phyllidiella zeylanica, Phyllidiella nigra , Phyllidiella annulata, and Phyllidiella rosans all possess a black background coloration and are therefore easily separated from the present species. Other differences are the bicolored rhinophores and basically white ventral surfaces of Phyllidiella rudmani. Phyllidiella lizae resembles the present species as it also possesses pink background coloration and black to white, colour graded rhinophores. However, substantial differences are apparent: the irregular, broken, intersecting black lines (two straight longitudinal black stripes in P. rudmani); a different number of rhinophoral lamellae; and ventrally, pale grey to pink coloration (white in P. rudmani) and digitate oral tentacles (conical in P. rudmani).

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., 1999 (September 12) Phyllidiella rudmani Brunckhorst, 1993. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/phylrudm

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