Trapania palmula
Gosliner & Fahey, 2008
Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DORIDINA
Superfamily: ANADORIDOIDEA
Family: Goniodorididae
DISTRIBUTION
Known from Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and southern Japan.
PHOTO
Upper Right: Bali, Indonesia, 8 m, 24 Oct 2001., approx 6 mm long. Photo: Stuart Hutchison. Lower left: CASIZ 172856. Radular morphology. Scale =10 µm. [From Gosliner & Fahey, 2008: Fig 8C]. Lower right: CASIZ 083757, Philippine Islands, 5 mm. Photo: T. Gosliner.
The animal is translucent clear with patches of translucent brown. Scattered all over are small whitish spots and larger white spots on raised tubercles. In the specimen illustrated by Gosliner & Fahey [lower right photo] much of the dorsal surface has an opaque coating of light brown.
The anterior foot tentacles and the the oral tentacles are a translucent light brown with darker blotches and have a whitish base, then an irregular dark, almost black, band. The extra-rhinophoral and extra-branchial appendages have a light brown base and tip and in the midregion there is a white patch with a diagonal blue streak. The rhinophores and gills are translucent brown with whitish spots, much the same as the body.
The living animal is known to reach 6 mm in length.
This species was previously known on the Forum as Trapania sp. 5.
-
Gosliner, T.M. & Fahey, S.H. (2008) Systematics of Trapania (Mollusca: Nudibranchia: Goniodorididae) with descriptions of 16 new species Systematics and Biodiversity, 6 (1): 53-98
Rudman, W.B., 2008 (March 10) Trapania palmula Gosliner & Fahey, 2008. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/trappalm
Related messages
Feeding Trapania sp. from Bali
March 12, 2002
From: Stuart Hutchison
Note added 12 March 2008: This species has been named Trapania palmula.
Bill,
Here's a pair of unknown nudi's munching off a blue ascidian in Bali, Indonesia on 24 Oct 2001. You can see where they've been by the absence of 'tassles' on the eaten area. They were very small (approx 6mm long) and living at about 8m depth.
Stuart
stuart@stuarthutchison.com.au
Thanks Stuart,
Another interesting find. This is almost certainly an unnamed species of Trapania. It is the only one I can think of with tubercles on its body. Of great interest are your photos of its feeding 'patch'. The 'tassles' you talk of are almost certainly a forest of entoprocts, the strange hydroid-like (though quite unrelated) animals which seem to be the sole food of species of Trapania. Entoprocts are sometimes called 'Moss Animals' which s very apropriate in this case.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
