Hallaxa paulinae
Gosliner & Johnson, 1994
Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DORIDINA
Superfamily: EUDORIDOIDEA
Family: Actinocyclidae
DISTRIBUTION
Known only from Indonesia, and now Japan.
PHOTO
Kerama Is. near Okinawa, Japan., 10m depth under side of a rock. 13mm & 9mm long. PHOTOS: Atsushi Ono.
Animals are translucent with an opaque white pattern to match the sponge on which they live and presumably feed. The gills and rhinophores are translucent white except for a black streak down the rhinophore club [described as "black subapical spot" in Gosliner & Johnson].
Reference:
•Gosliner, T.M. & Johnson, S. (1994) Review of the genus Hallaxa (Nudibranchia: Actinocyclidae) with descriptions of nine new species. The Veliger, 37(2): 155-191.
See Atsushi Ono's message below.
Authorship detailsRudman, W.B., 2000 (February 14) Hallaxa paulinae Gosliner & Johnson, 1994. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/hallpaul
Related messages
Another remarkable Hallaxa
February 15, 2000
From: Atsushi Ono
Dear Bill,
Thank you and Clay Carlson for your advice on Hallaxa hileenae from Kerama Is.
Here are some more dorids which show sponge mimicry from Kerama Is. near Okinawa.
I found this species at 10m depth under side of a rock. The bigger is 13mm long, the smaller is 9mm long. The tips of rhinophore are faint black.
These animals are very similar to the sponges, therefore it is very difficult to find them.
Could you help me to identify this species?
Sincerely,
Atsushi Ono
ononini@cosmos.ne.jp
Ono, A., 2000 (Feb 15) Another remarkable Hallaxa. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/1903Dear Atsushi,
This amazing animal is also a species of Hallaxa, in this case H. paulinae. It is also an excellent mimic of the sponge it feeds on.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman.
