Pteraeolidia semperi ( Bergh, 1870 )

Tibiriçá, Yara, Pola, Marta & Cervera, Juan Lucas, 2017, Astonishing diversity revealed: an annotated and illustrated inventory of Nudipleura (Gastropoda: Heterobranchia) from Mozambique, Zootaxa 4359 (1), pp. 1-133 : 115-116

Pteraeolidia semperi ( Bergh, 1870)

( Figure 36 A–D )

Material examined. Twenty-one specimens. MB28-004475, ZWH, 0 8 Feb. 2012, 16 m, 54mm; MB28-004531, ZKW, 51m, 12mm; MB28-004532, ZY, 13 May 2012, 37m, 32mm; MB28-004767 & MB28-004768, VISP, 2m, 30mm and 42mm, respectively; MB28-004840, POB, 0 9 May 2014, 18m, 45mm, collected by J. Strömvol; MB28- 0 0 4852, 2 spcs., POD, 11 May 2014, 15m, 45 and 50mm; MB28-004920, ZWH, 26 Sep. 2015, 15 m, 46mm; MB28-004936, ZGWS, 11 Oct. 2014, 19 m, 60mm; MB28-004957, ZGWS, 17 Jan. 2015, 19 m, 47mm; MB28- 0 0 4960, ZSC, 28 Jan. 2015, 22 m, 9mm; ZMBN105114, 5 spcs., VIAIR, 16 May 2015, 3m, 30, 35, 42, 60 and 68mm; ZMBN105156, 3 spcs., VIAIR, 21 May 2015, 4m, 74mm; ZMBN105160, VIAIR, 21 May 2915, 2m, 50, 61, 72mm ,, collected by Y. Tibiriçá & M. Malaquias.

Habitats. Subtropical rocky reefs, wrecks and tropical coral reefs.

Occurrences. Ponta do Ouro, Zavora and Vamizi Island.

Geographic distribution. Indo-west, central Pacific. Hawaii, Guam (Gosliner et al. 2008), Japan ( Baba 1949), Palau, Papua New Guinea, Australia, Philippines (Gosliner et al. 2008), India ( Apte 2009; Remakrishna et al. 2010), Maldives ( Marcus & Marcus 1960), Seychelles, Madagascar (Gosliner et al. 2008), Tanzania ( Eliot 1903) and Mozambique ( King & Fraser 2014).

Remarks. Molecular data indicates that P. semperi is likely to represent a complex of species ( Wilson & Burghardt 2015). The morphotypes found in Mozambique were highly variable in colour with at least three different foot colourations present in Mozambican specimens, suggesting that there may be a species complex. Specimen MB28-004852 bears the same foot pattern found in “Group B” specimens ( Yorifuji, 2012) from northwestern Pacific. Additional studies are underway to verify if this population group contains cryptic/pseudocryptic species (Yorifuji M., pers. communication).

Figures

FIGURE 36. A–D, Pteraeolidia semperi (MB28-004475, MB28-004957, MB28-004840 and MB28-004531, respectively). E, Sakuraeolis kirembosa (MB28-004961). F, Sakuraeolis sp. (MB28-004523).G, Sakuraeolis sp. 2 (MB28-004813). H, Glaucus atlanticus (MB28-004558). I, Glaucus marginatus (MZUSP110979).