Phyllidiopsis burni
Brunckhorst, 1993

Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DORIDINA
Family: Phyllidiidae

DISTRIBUTION

Most specimens have been collected from Micronesia. There is one record from the northern Great Barrier Reef, and one record from Papua New Guinea.

PHOTO

22 m depth, "sponge mound", Apra Harbour, Guam, 5 July 1988, dorsal view of 61 mm specimen (Brunckhorst, 1993: Plate 9B). PHOTO: D.J. Brunckhorst.

Notes compiled from Brunckhorst, 1993:
Characteristic external features of Phyllidiopsis burni include: the tapering of the body anteriorly and posteriorly; deep pink, acute, multicompound tubercles (oblong in shape medially); smooth, translucent pink mantle edge; black rhinophores with 17-20 lamellae on the clavus (specimens greater than 32 mm); dark grey to black gills; grey foot with pink edge; and large, oval, oral tentacles with deep, long, dark grey lateral grooves.

The black background coloration of the dorsum, deep pink tubercles, black rhinophores (and fewer lamellae to the rhinophoral clavus) of the present species distinguish it from Phyllidiopsis pipeki and Phyllidiopsis krempfi (both possess a pink background and pink and black rhinophores). Phyllidiopsis fissuratus is closer to the present species, but it differs in having very tall, pale pink tubercles with deep, black lined valleys. It has pink rhinophores with a black posterior stripe and 29-32 lamellae on the rhinophoral clavus. Phyllidiopsis fissuratus also has translucent pink rims to the rhinophoral pockets and a very tall, smooth, translucent pink anal papilla (both absent in P. burni), and uniformly pink, square shaped oral tentacles (oval with dark grey lateral grooves in P. burni).

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 (August 1) Phyllidiopsis burni Brunckhorst, 1993. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/phylburn

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