Phyllidiopsis xishaensis

Phyllidiopsis xishaensis is a species of sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a shell-less marine gastropod mollusk in the family Phyllidiidae.[2]

Phyllidiopsis xishaensis
The nudibranch Phyllidiopsis xishaensis, Diani Beach, Kenya.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Mollusca
Class:
Gastropoda
(unranked):
clade Heterobranchia
clade Euthyneura
clade Nudipleura
clade Nudibranchia
clade Euctenidiacea
clade Doridacea
Superfamily:
Phyllidioidea
Family:
Phyllidiidae
Genus:
Phyllidiopsis
Species:
P. xishaensis
Binomial name
Phyllidiopsis xishaensis
(Lin, 1983)[1]
Synonyms

Phyllidia xishaensis Lin, 1983 Phyllidiopsis striata auctt. non Bergh, 1888

Frequently misidentified as Phyllidiopsis striata but that species has been shown to be a completely different animal, a Phyllidiella.[3][4]

Distribution

This species was described from China. It has been reported from South Africa, Réunion, the Maldives, Malaysia, the Philippines and the Great Barrier Reef, Australia.[5]

Description

This nudibranch has a blue-white dorsum with four longitudinal black lines interspersed with raised ridges. It is a small Phyllidiid, growing to about 20 mm in length. There are sometimes black spots in the region between the outer black lines and the edge of the mantle. The rhinophores are lemon coloured or white. It is similar to Phyllidiopsis annae except for the colour of the rhinophores, which are black in that species. Phyllidiopsis phiphiensis is also similar but has three instead of four longitudinal black lines on the mantle.[5]

Diet

This species feeds on a sponge.

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References
  1. Lin G (1983) A study on the genus Phyllidia (Opisthobranchia) in China. Tropic Oceanology 2 (2): 148–153.
  2. Bouchet, P. (2015). Phyllidiopsis xishaensis (Lin, 1983). In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2016-11-12.
  3. Yonow N., Anderson R.C., Buttress S.G. (2002) Opisthobranch molluscs from the Chagos Archipelago, Central Indian Ocean. Journal of Natural History 36: 831–882. doi: 10.1080/00222930110039161
  4. Yonow N. (2012) Opisthobranchs from the western Indian Ocean, with descriptions of two new species and ten new records (Mollusca, Gastropoda). ZooKeys 197: 1–129. [22 May 2012], available online at https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.197.1728
  5. Rudman, W.B., 1999 (August 1) Phyllidiopsis striata Bergh, 1888. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.
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