Myja cf. longicornis Bergh, 1896

Mehrotra, Rahul, A. Caballer Gutierrez, Manuel, M. Scott, Chad, Arnold, Spencer, Monchanin, Coline, Viyakarn, Voranop & Chavanich, Suchana, 2021, An updated inventory of sea slugs from Koh Tao, Thailand, with notes on their ecology and a dramatic biodiversity increase for Thai waters, ZooKeys 1042, pp. 73-188 : 73

* Myja cf. longicornis Bergh, 1896 Figure 18A

Material examined.

One specimen GR, 9 mm.

Ecology.

Found exclusively on its prey hydroid Pennaria disticha (Goldfuss, 1820) uncommonly found in both coral reef and deeper soft sediment habitats. Depth 8-25 m.

Distribution.

Myja longicornis is known from Indonesia ( Bergh 1896), Australia ( Nimbs and Smith 2016), Japan, and Papua New Guinea ( Gosliner et al. 2008). A similar species Myja cf. longicornis was recently documented from the Gulf of Thailand ( Martynov et al. 2019).

Remarks.

This genus was recently reviewed and expanded based on specimens from Japan and the Gulf of Thailand ( Martynov et al. 2019). In that study, authors concluded that the studied specimens from the Gulf of Thailand have a close resemblance to the description of M. longicornis by Bergh, with some internal and external differences that would require examination of specimens from the type locality of Ambon. The single specimen found at Koh Tao closely resembles other specimens found in the Gulf of Thailand, and thus its species designation remains unresolved in the absence of contemporary studies of the genus from closer to the type locality.

Figures

Figure 18. A Myja cf. longicornis 9 mm (photograph by Phannee Mccarthy) B, C Noumeaella sp. 1 5 mm D, E Noumeaella sp. 2 5 mm (photographs by Tony Myshlyaev) F Phidiana militaris 35 mm (photograph by Pau Urgell Plaza) G Phidiana sp. 7 mm H Phyllodesmium magnum 30 mm I Phyllodesmium cf. magnum 35 mm (photograph by Pau Urgell Plaza) J Phyllodesmium opalescens 35 mm, (photograph by Guillaume Gandoin) K Phyllodesmium sp. 55 mm (photograph by Pau Urgell Plaza) L Armina occulta 65 mm.