Phyllidiopsis sp.

Yonow, Nathalie, Anderson, R. Charles & Buttress, Susan G., 2002, Opisthobranch molluscs from the Chagos Archipelago, Central Indian Ocean, Journal of Natural History 36 (7), pp. 831-882 : 870-871

Phyllidiopsis sp.

(®gure 19d)

Phyllidiopsis kremp W Pruvot-Fol : Brunckhorst, 1993: 66, pl. 8A.

Material. Chag96/65: 373 16 mm; inner reef, Ile du Coin, Peros Banhos Atoll; 25 February 1996; at 10 m depth; collected by Frank Stewart. Chag96/71: 39 mm; inner reef, Ile Diamant, Peros Banhos Atoll; 27 February 1996; at 10 m depth.

Description. Pink, with four longitudinal black stripes dorsally and numerous black transverse marginal streaks. Numerous complex, compound tubercles on dorsum, with pale pink tips. Rhinophores black, the bases pink anteriorly.

Geographic distribution. Indo-West Paci®c: Red Sea (Yonow, unpublished), South Africa, and Thailand, Java and Indonesia ( Brunckhorst, 1993). Also known from Sri Lanka: this record is based on a photograph by R.C.A. taken in April 1995 near Trincomalee on the east coast of Sri Lanka (not the west coast as stated in Debelius, 1996: 270).

Remarks. This species has been referred to Phyllidiopsis kremp W Pruvot-Fol, 1957 by Brunckhorst (1993); however, examination of Pruvot-Fol’s specimens, description and illustration show Brunckhorst’s specimens of his new species Phyllidiopsis W ssuratus to be more similar to Pruvot-Fol’s species than those specimens he assigned to P. kremp W. Clearly this di cult species complex needs further work.