Aeolidiopsis ransoni Pruvot-Fol, 1956

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

publication ID

https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1042.64474

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9CF986D8-6A47-4E17-9A67-245C78FB8AFD

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/DBF00491-B433-5558-8BE2-185FC020B980

treatment provided by

ZooKeys by Pensoft

scientific name

Aeolidiopsis ransoni Pruvot-Fol, 1956
status

 

* Aeolidiopsis ransoni Pruvot-Fol, 1956 View in CoL Figure 17A, B View Figure 17

Material examined.

Two specimens 25-30 mm, SB; one specimen 23 mm, CB.

Ecology.

Exclusively recorded on its prey species, the zoanthid Palythoa tuberculosa (Esper, 1805), on which it is extremely cryptic. Depth 1-18 m.

Distribution.

Across the Pacific including Japan ( Ono 2004), French Polynesia ( Pruvot-Fol 1956), Hawaii ( Carmona et al. 2014a), the Philippines, Australia, and Papua New Guinea ( Gosliner et al. 2008). Here representing a first record for Thai waters.

Remarks.

Separated from Aeolidiopsis harrietae and A. palythoae (Gosliner, 1985) by the presence of smooth rhinophores and highly elongate body with between 17-23 pairs of cerata. Unlike specimens described by Carmona et al. (2014b) but similar to those described by Rudman (1982), specimens from Koh Tao have rhinophores that lack white tips.