Bermudella pellucida (Burn, 1967)

Description

The body is slender throughout and is higher than wide at the pericardial eminence anterior to the gills. Body color is translucent yellowish, with darker viscera; the entire body except the sole bears an anastomosing pattern of chocolate-brown lines, including between the gill branches and on both sides of the gill stems. The rhinophores have a chocolate-brown band in the third quarter of their length and white tips. The gill consists of six wholly transparent, simply pinnate branches set in a small circle. There are 7–10 simple conical lateral papillae on each side along the notal brim; the two anteriormost are somewhat longer than the others. Three mid-dorsal papillae stand between the rhinophores and gill, often with a smaller papilla behind the gill. The oral tentacles are distinct and ear-shaped. Live animals reach about 10 mm; preserved specimens 6–7 mm.

Distribution

Originally described from Australia (Burn 1967). Additional records from the United Arab Emirates (Behrens 2001), Hawaiian Islands (Gosliner, Johnson & Bertsch 1986), Japan (Kurihara 1999), Palmyra Atoll, and Malaysia.

Etymology

From Latin pellucidus (transparent), referring to the translucent body coloration.

Remarks

Commonly found on large masses of the ctenostomatous bryozoan Zoobotryon sp., together with its elongate egg masses. The wide distribution of this species is facilitated both by its planktotrophic larvae and by oceanic dispersal of large masses of the host bryozoan. The transfer to Bermudella follows post-2004 phylogenetic work.

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References

• Burn, R. (1967). Descriptions of two new species of Okenia (Nudibranchia, Doridacea) from south-eastern Australia. Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 1965-66: 52-57.
• セスジイバラウミウシ, 奥谷喬司. (2000). 日本近海産貝類図鑑. 東海大学出版会.
• Okenia pellucida Burn, 1967, Gosliner T. M. (2004). Phylogenetic Systematics of Okenia, Sakishmaia, Hopkinsiella and Hopkinsia (Nudibranchia: Goniodorididae) with descriptions of new species from the tropical Indo-Pacific". Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 55(5): 125-161.
• セスジイバラウミウシ, 中野理枝. (2018). 日本のウミウシ. 文一総合出版.
• Okenia pellucida, Terrence Gosliner, Ángel Valdés and David Behrens. (2018). Nudibranch and Sea Slug Identification Indo-Pacific 2nd Edition. New World Pubns Inc.