Baeolidia australis ( Rudman, 1982 )

Carmona, Leila, Pola, Marta, Gosliner, Terrence M. & Cervera, Juan Lucas, 2014, Review of Baeolidia, the largest genus of Aeolidiidae (Mollusca: Nudibranchia), with the description of five new species, Zootaxa 3802 (4), pp. 477-514 : 490-491

Baeolidia australis ( Rudman, 1982)

( Fig. 8 B)

Spurilla australis Rudman, 1982 , 164, Figs. 12–16 .

Berghia australis ( Rudman, 1982) : Gosliner 1985, 261. Baeolidia australis ( Rudman, 1982) : Miller 2001, 633.

Type locality. Long Reef, Australia.

Type material. According to Rudman (1982), the holotype is deposited the Australian Museum, Sydney (C92613).

Geographical distribution. Only reported from New Zealand and Australia ( Morton & Miller 1968 as Baeolidia major ; Powell 1976, 1979; Willan & Morton 1984).

External and internal morphology. Described in detail and figured by Rudman (1982). No specimens available for the present study.

Remarks. We transfer Spurilla australis to Baeolidia based on the fact that its rhinophoral papillae (small knobs) are one of the types of Baeolidia ’s ( Fig. 3 ) and because its morphological similarities with the type species of this genus ( Baeolidia moebii ). Regarding the characteristic of the radula, the teeth of B. moebii seem to be wider and have shorter denticles than those of B. australis . However, due to the intraspecific variability of this structure in Aeolidiidae (personal observation), further material of this species would be essential to test the validity of this character. In terms of colouration, B. australis has a thin orange sub-apical band above a broad blue band on each cerata, which it is never present in B. moebii . B. australis looks bluish whereas B. moebii is more yellowish or brownish. The body of B. australis also seems to have a brown and white reticulate pattern that does not appear to be present in B. moebii . Recently Rudman (2007b) questioned the validity of B. australis , but until this species could be examined from a morphological and/or molecular point of view we retain B. australis as a distinct species.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Different papillate rhinophores in Baeolidia: (A) from Rudman (1982); (B) from Gosliner (1985). Scale bars: A, 3 mm; B, 1 mm; C, 1.2 mm; D, 1.5 mm.

FIGURE 8. Photographs of the living animals. (A) Baeolidia harrietae, specimen from Papua New Guinea, photo by Terrence M. Gosliner; (B) Baeolidia australis, specimen from Australia, photo by Lean and David Atkinson; (C) Baeolidia salaamica, specimen from the Philippines, photo by Terrence M. Gosliner, CASIZ 177599; (D) Baeolidia salaamica, specimen from the Philippines, photo by Terrence M. Gosliner, CASIZ 177397; (E) Baeolidia chaka, specimen from South Africa (6 mm), photo by Terrence M. Gosliner; (F) Baeolidia palythoae, specimen from South Africa (8 mm), photo by Terrence M. Gosliner.

FIGURE 12. Photographs of the living animals. (A) Baeolidia lunaris sp. nov., specimen from Tanzania, photo by Terrence M. Gosliner, CASIZ 099221; (B) Baeolidia gracilis sp. nov., specimen from the Philippines, photo by Terrence M. Gosliner, CASIZ 083766; (D) Baeolidia scottjohnsoni sp. nov., specimen from Marshall Islands, photo by Scott Johnson, CASIZ 184503.

FIGURE 13. Scanning electron photographs. (A – B) Baeolidia gracilis sp. nov. (CASIZ 083766); (A) Detailed view of the masticatory border; (B) Radular teeth; (C – D) Baeolidia scottjohnsoni sp. nov. (CASIZ 184503); (C) Detailed view of the masticatory border; (D) Radular teeth. Scale bars: A, 3 µm; B, 10 µm; C, 50 µm; D, 100 µm.

FIGURE 14. Reproductive system. (A) Baeolidia gracilis sp. nov., specimen from the Philippines (CASIZ 083766); (B) Baeolidia scottjohnsoni sp. nov., specimen from Marshall Islands (CASIZ 184503). Scale bars: A, 0.5 mm; B, 1 mm. Abbreviations: am, ampulla; fgm, female gland mass; ps, penial sac; rs, receptaculum seminis; v, vagina; vd, vas deferens.

FIGURE 15. Schematic representation of differences of body shape among the genera Spurilla (A), drawing of Ascensión Cespedosa; Berghia (B), drawing of Ascensión Cespedosa; Limenandra (C), taken from Haefelfinger & Stamm (1958); and Baeolidia (D), taken from Rudman (1982).

FIGURE 16. Comparison of the radular morphology among the genera Spurilla (A), Berghia (B), Limenandra (C) and Baeolidia (D).