Phidiana milleri
Rudman, 1980

Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: AEOLIDINA
Family: Glaucidae

DISTRIBUTION

Auckland, New Zealand [no other details available] Photo: Michael C. Miller

The animal is translucent with orange-red tinging the head region. There is opaque white pigmentation on the upper half of the oral tentacles, the upper third of the smooth tapering rhinophores, and the leading edge of the foot and tentacular anterior foot corners. There can also be a white line or series of spots down the dorsal midline of the foot from the end of the cerata to the posterior tip.

The cerata wall is transparent except for a subapical white cap. The digestive gland is usually a dark red.

This species is common intertidally and in the shallow sublittoral throughout New Zealand and is often found on the 'mussel beard' hydroids growing on the green lip mussel Perna canaliculus. Its anatomy was fully described by Miller (1974) as Phidiana militaris. It can grow to at least 40 mm in length,

  • Miller, M.C. (1974): Aeolid nudibranchs (Gastropoda: Opisthobranchia) of the family Glaucidae from New Zealand waters. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 54: 31-61.
  • Rudman, W.B. (1980) Aeolid opisthobranch molluscs (Glaucidae) from the Indian Ocean and the south-west Pacific. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 68: 139-172.
Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 2010 (April 15) Phidiana milleri Rudman, 1980. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/phidmill

Related messages


Phidiana milleri from Lyttleton, New Zealand

April 16, 2010
From: David Taylor

Sorry about the quality but I was wondering if you could tell me what species this is? Flabellina albomarginata??

Locality: Lyttelton Harbour, 1, New Zealand, Pacific, 31 August 2009, Intertidal tidepool. Length: 50mm. Photographer: David Taylor.

David Taylor

david.taylor@cawthron.org.nz

Taylor, D.I., 2010 (Apr 16) Phidiana milleri from Lyttleton, New Zealand. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/23493

Dear Dave,

Flabellina albomarginata has tubercles on back of rhinophores and those with white running down edge of oral tenatcles have it on the front edge not the back. The colour of your animal and the arrangement and number of the cerata make me pretty sure that this is Phidiana milleri. Although this is a new species for the Forum, it is quite a common aeolid throughout New Zealand. Fortunately I have a photo of it from Dr M.C. Miller with permission to use it on the Forum.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2010 (Apr 16). Comment on Phidiana milleri from Lyttleton, New Zealand by David Taylor. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/23493