MORPHOLOGY
Body oval, flattened, covered with a complex network of small ridges with two levels of organization. The largest ridges cover the entire body, leaving some depressions in between. Smaller ridges occur in the depressions dividing them into smaller fragments. Entire dorsal surface, except for the depressions, covered with caryophyllidia. Branchial sheath composed of three large lobes; gill composed of five tripinnate branchial leaves, arranged horizontally in the living animal. Rhinophoral sheaths elevated; rhinophores long, lamellated, with 16 lamellae. Body color opaque grey with scattered yellow spots; depressions with gray ridges dividing dark grey to black fragments. Gill leaves are the same color as the dorsum. Rhinophores greyish to yellowish cream.
DISTRIBUTION
Possibly a New Caledonia endemic
References
- Atagema sp.11, Terrence Gosliner, Ángel Valdés and David Behrens. (2015). Nudibranch and Sea Slug Identification Indo-Pacific. New World Pubns Inc.
- Atagema papillosa (Risbec, 1928), Innabi, J., Stout, C. C. & Valdés, Á. (2023). Seven new “cryptic” species of Discodorididae (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Nudibranchia) from New Caledonia. ZooKeys. 1152: 45-95., available online at https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1152.98258
Noriko Nakamura
