Berthella caledonica (Risbec, 1928)

Description

A small pleurobranchid reaching about 5 cm in length. The absence of an anterior mantle notch, among other anatomical features, places it in Berthella rather than Pleurobranchus.

Distribution

Type locality: Nouméa, New Caledonia. Also recorded from Australia (southern Queensland), Okinawa, the Marshall Islands and Hawaii.

Etymology

Latin caledonica (masculine caledonicus), "of New Caledonia", a toponym referring to the type locality.

Remarks

The species went unrecorded for decades after its original collection, until it was rediscovered in southern Queensland, Australia.

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References

• Pleurobranchus caledonicus n. sp., Risbec J. (1928). Contribution à l'étude des nudibranches néo-calédoniens. Faune des Colonies françaises, Tome II: 1-328, 12 pls. (Société d'Éditions géographiques, maritimes et coloniales, Paris). [doctoral thesis monograph]
• ヒノマルフシエラガイ（仮称）, 小野篤司. (1999). ウミウシガイドブック. TBSブリタニカ.
• ヒノマルフシエラガイ（新称）, 小野篤司. (2000). ウミウシガイドブック. 第2版. TBSブリタニカ.
• ヒノマルフシエラガイ, 小野篤司. (2004). 沖縄のウミウシ. ラトルズ.
• Berthella sp. 1, Terrence Gosliner, Ángel Valdés and David Behrens. (2015). Nudibranch and Sea Slug Identification Indo-Pacific. New World Pubns Inc.
• ヒノマルフシエラガイ, 小野篤司 & 加藤昌一. (2020). 新版 ウミウシ. 誠文堂新光社.