Eubranchus ocellatus (Alder & Hancock, 1864)

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

* Eubranchus ocellatus (Alder & Hancock, 1864) Figure 20F

Material examined.

One specimen 22 mm, SN.

Ecology.

On its prey hydroid Idiellana pristis Lamouroux, 1816 rare in soft sediment habitats and absent from the coral reefs of Koh Tao. Depth 12-24 m.

Distribution.

Eubranchus ocellatus is known from the Red Sea ( Yonow 2008), Australia ( Nimbs and Smith 2016), Tanzania, Philippines, Indonesia, and New Caledonia ( Gosliner et al. 2008). Here representing a first record for Thai waters and a first record for the genus in the Gulf of Thailand.

Remarks.

It necessary here to clarify the brief historical records of Eubranchidae in Thai waters. Chavanich et al. (2013) recorded Baeolidia japonica Baba, 1933 from the Gulf of Thailand as a member of the Eubranchidae , which in fact belongs to the Aeolidiidae , as a representation of the first record of the family from Thai waters. Not mentioned in the same review, however, was the observation of Eubranchus rubropunctatus Edmunds, 1969 from the Andaman coast of Thailand ( Neal 2010) which is believed to represent the first record of the family from Thai waters.

Figures

Figure 20. A Bornella stellifera 31 mm B Lomanotus vermiformis 25 mm C Scyllaea fulva 45 mm D Melibe viridis 97 mm E Melibe sp. 22 mm F Eubranchus ocellatus 22 mm G Eubranchus sp. 7 mm H Coryphellina exoptata 15 mm (photograph by Tine Kvamme) I, J Coryphellina cf. lotos variants 40 mm (I) and 35 mm (J) K Samla bicolor 12 mm L Phestilla fuscostriata 15 mm.