Verconia cf. hongkongiensis (Rudman, 1990)

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/697BECC4-95F5-585E-A629-27716C1B7EC1

treatment provided by

ZooKeys by Pensoft

scientific name

Verconia cf. hongkongiensis (Rudman, 1990)
status

 

* Verconia cf. hongkongiensis (Rudman, 1990) View in CoL Figure 11K View Figure 11

Material examined.

One specimen 6 mm, CB; one specimen 4 mm, TW.

Ecology.

Observed under dead fungiid coral skeleton and rubble in shallow coral reef. Depth 3-8 m.

Distribution.

Verconia hongkongiensis is known from Japan and Hong Kong ( Gosliner et al. 2008, 2018). The present Verconia cf. hongkongiensis is a first record for Thai waters.

Remarks.

Initially recorded as Hypselodoris bullockii (Collingwood, 1881) from a single small specimen by Mehrotra and Scott (2016), further observations have concluded that the species from Koh Tao is not H. bullockii but one superficially resembling Verconia hongkongiensis ( Rudman 1990). Similarities between the two species are the thin marginal white line and pale variations in colour of the dorsum. However, rather than reddish tips, gills appear to be uniformly red (more orange in some specimens) and rhinophores appear pigmented throughout, basally red, sometimes with a paler median band, ending in red/orange tips, with all individuals recorded from Koh Tao being smaller than 6 mm.