Phyllaplysia lafonti
(Fischer, 1870)
Order: ANASPIDEA
Superfamily: APLYSIOIDEA
Family: Aplysiidae
DISTRIBUTION
Mediterranean, Atlantic coast of Europe, Indo-West Pacific.
PHOTO
Upper: Fischer's original drawing [1872 - Plate 15, figs 1-3]
Lower: Kerama Islands, Okinawa, Japan. Size approx: 17mm., Depth: 2m., 7 Jul 2002. Photo: Jun Imamoto
The identity of many of the small sea hares of the genera Phyllaplysia and Petalifera, which have been described around the world, is very confused and as many species are based on descriptions of preserved animals, or simply described as 'green', we will probably never be able to resolve all the older names. The situation is also confused by many authors considering that species of Phyllaplysia lacked a shell while those of Petalifera possessed one.
Phyllaplysia lafonti was originally described from the Baie d'Arcachon on the Atlantic coast of France. Like all species of Phyllaplysia and Petalifera it is described as small, flattened, and with very reduced parapodia. The colour is described as very variable, but one distinctive feature of the written description and the accompanying drawing are the way the body coloration consists of concentric bands ['zones concentriques'] of lighter and darker pigmentation. Also described are whitish spots ringed with purple. Fischer was unable to determine whether there was a shell, but a relatively large fragile internal shell is illustrated by Terreni (1997)
It is hard to be sure which of the earlier references to this species in the Mediterranean are actually correct, but there is a good colour photo which matches the original drawing of Phyllaplysia lafonti in an article by Terreni (1997) in La Conchiglia. In this article he compares it with Petalifera petalifera. Photos of animals from the Indo-West Pacific, indistinguishable from Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic animals, suggest this species has a circum-global distribution.
See message #13719 comparing Phyllaplysia lafonti and Petalifera petalifera
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Fischer, P (1870) Observations sur les Aplysies. Ann. de Sci. Nat (5). Zool & Pal, 13: 3
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Fischer, P (1872) Description d'une espece nouvelle du genre Phyllaplysia. Journal de Conchyliologie, 20: 295-301.
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Terreni, G. (1997) Rinvenimento di un esemplare di Phyllaplysia lafonti (P. Fischer, 1870) nelle acque litorali di Livorno (Gastropoda, Opisthobranchia, Aplysiomorpha). La Conchiglia, Roma, 29 (282): 45-47.
Rudman, W.B., 2005 (May 12) Phyllaplysia lafonti (Fischer, 1870). [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/phyllafo
Related messages
Phyllaplysia lafonti & Petalifera petalifera
May 12, 2005
From: Bill Rudman
The identity of the small sea hares of the genera Phyllaplysia and Petalifera is very confused and as many species are based on descriptions of preserved animals, or simply described as 'green', we will probably never be able to resolve all the older names. The situation is also confused by many authors considering that species of Phyllaplysia lacked a shell while those of Petalifera possessed one. This confusion is very well illustrated by the species found in the Mediterranean. Some recent messages have forced me to revisit the question of just what is the difference between Petalifera petalifera and Phyllaplysia lafonti.
The original description of Petalifera petalifera is not easy to interpret, but most authors have accepted it to apply to a reasonably common, small translucent sea hare covered in an irregular pattern of brown to green patches and diffuse spots. It has been reviewed and illustrated by Fasulo et al (1984) and Terreni (1997).
Phyllaplysia lafonti was originally described from the Baie d'Arcachon on the Atlantic coast of France. Like all species of Phyllaplysia and Petalifera it is described as small, flattened, and with very reduced parapodia. The colour is described as very variable, but one distinctive feature of the written desription and the accompanying drawing are the way the body consists of concentric bands ['zones concentriques'] of lighter and darker pigmentation. Also described are whitish spots ringed with purple. Fischer was unable to determine whether there was a shell but Terreni (1997) illustrates a relatively large fragile internal shell. It is hard to be sure which of the earlier references to this species in the Mediterranean are actually correct, but there are some good colour photos of correctly identified Phyllaplysia lafonti in an article by Terreni (1997) in La Conchiglia. In this article he compares it with Petalifera petalifera.
In the literature both these species have been identified as Petalifera petalifera and I have previously followed that in the Forum. I have moved the following messages previously identified as P. petalifera to P. lafonti, giving that species a wide distribution in theIndo-West Pacific as well as the eastern Atlantic [messages #9017, #5433].
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Fasulo, G., Izzillo, F., Russo, G. F., Toscano, F., and Villani, G. (1984) Nota su Petalifera petalifera (Rang, 1828) (Gastropoda, Opisthobranchia, Aplysiomorpha), specie Mediterranea poco conosciuta. Considerazioni sistematiche, ecologiche e biogeografiche. Bollettino Malacologico, 20: 263-272.
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Fischer, P (1870) Observations sur les Aplysies. Ann. de Sci. Nat (5). Zool & Pal, 13: 3
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Fischer, P (1872) Description d'une espece nouvelle du genre Phyllaplysia. Journal de Conchyliologie, 20: 295-301.
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Martinez, E. (1996) On Petalifera petalifera (Rang, 1928) (Gastropoda: Opisthobranchia): new anatomical and geographical data. Journal of Molluscan Studies, 62: 243-250.
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Rang, S. (1828) Histoire naturelle des Aplysiens, premiere famille de l'ordre des Tectibranches. In: Histoire naturelle Generale et particuliere des Mollusques. Firmin Didot, Paris, 84pp. Pls. 1-24.
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Terreni, G. (1997) Rinvenimento di un esemplare di Phyllaplysia lafonti (P. Fischer, 1870) nelle acque litorali di Livorno (Gastropoda, Opisthobranchia, Aplysiomorpha). La Conchiglia, Roma, 29 (282): 45-47.
Petalifera petalifera from Moorea
December 17, 2003
From: Bill Rudman
Note added 12 May 2005: This is Phyllaplysia lafonti [see message #13719]
I just noticed a sea hare in a message from Daniel Geiger in the 'unidentified' pages. It is in fact Petalifera petalifera. If any of you have a minute to spare I would appreciate it if you could visit the unidentified pages every now and then and see if you can help solve a puzzle
Best wishes
Bill Rudman
Petalifera petalifera (Rang, 1828)? from Japan
April 30, 2003
From: Jun Imamoto
Dear Bill,
Here is a sea slug, Petalifera petalifera? which I observed in 2002, which I would like to contribute to the Forum.
I am happy if these reports are useful for your research.
Date: 7 Jul 2002
Location: Okinawa, Kerama Islands, Japan
Size approx: 17mm
Depth: 2m
Temperature: 27C
Photos: Jun Imamoto
Best Regards,
Jun Imamoto
http://umiushi.zive.net/
imamoto@wips.co.jp
Imamoto, J., 2003 (Apr 30) Petalifera petalifera (Rang, 1828)? from Japan. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/9017Note added 12 May 2005: This is Phyllaplysia lafonti [see message #13719]
Dear Jun,
Thanks for this record. This is another new species for the Forum. I am sure you are correct in identifying this as Petalifera petalifera. It looks identical to a photo in Ocana, (2000) of this species from the Straits of Gibraltar.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Aplysiid from French Polynesia
March 13, 2002
From: Daniel Geiger
Hi Bill,
Here are some new photos 4887 Aplysia??? French Polynesia, Moorea, August 2001, body approx. 2.5 cm. Note two cleaner shrimps on the body.
Daniel.
dgeiger@nhm.org
Geiger,D., 2002 (Mar 13) Aplysiid from French Polynesia. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/5433Note added 12 May 2005: This is Phyllaplysia lafonti [see message #13719]
Dear Daniel,
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman.
