Phyllidiopsis gemmata ( Pruvot-Fol, 1957 )

Tibiriçá, Yara, Pola, Marta & Cervera, Juan Lucas, 2017, Astonishing diversity revealed: an annotated and illustrated inventory of Nudipleura (Gastropoda: Heterobranchia) from Mozambique, Zootaxa 4359 (1), pp. 1-133 : 63

Phyllidiopsis gemmata ( Pruvot-Fol, 1957)

( Figure 21 A–C )

Material examined. Three specimens. MHN-YT1325, NFA, 0 6 Jun. 2014, 19 m, 32mm; ZMBN117082, NKA, 25 Jun. 2014, 15 m, 26mm; ZMBN119691, NKA, 15m, 31mm.

Habitats. Tropical coral reefs.

Occurrences. Nuarro.

Geographic distribution. Indo-west Pacific. Indonesia, Thailand ( Brunckhorst 1993), India ( Apte 2009), British Indian Ocean Territory ( Yonow et al. 2002), Ari Atoll ( Yonow 2012), Réunion Island ( Brunckhorst 1993), Mauritius, Madagascar (Gosliner et al. 2008) and Mozambique.

Remarks. This species is characterized by its elongated body, low compound conical tubercles which form three central ridges in the dorsum, four narrow black longitudinal lines on the dorsum, an anal opening within a pink tubercle and black rhinophores with a pink-grey base ( Brunckhorst 1993). Rudman (1999b) notes that although the original illustration of P. gemmata exhibited radial lines on the mantle margin, these were not mentioned in the description or later by Brunckhorst (1993). Radial lines were observed in all Mozambican specimens and in Gosliner et al. (2008, 2015). These are not apparent in photographs of P. gemmata in Yonow (2012) , however this author suggested these lines may be present only in large individuals.

Figures

FIGURE 21. A–C, Phyllidiopsis gemmata (ZMBN117082), dorsal, ventral view and detail of the rhinophores. D–F, Phyllidiopsis krempfi (ZMBN117040) dorsal, ventral view and detail of the rhinophores. G–I, Phyllidiopsis krempfi (ZMBN105093) dorsal,ventral view anddetail of the rhinophores.J–L,Phyllidiopsis shireenae (ZMBN119709) dorsal,ventral view and detail of the rhinophores.