Cabangus regius (Pola & Stout, 2008)

Description

A medium-sized dendronotid reaching about 30 mm in length. The body is translucent white with visible internal organs and a pale persimmon-orange wash across the dorsum, varying in intensity between individuals. The back is dotted with brown, white and black markings. Adults bear four pairs of dorsolateral appendages, each with a treelike branching tip in which the branches are brown. Similar brown branching processes also appear on the anterior margin of the head and the rhinophore sheaths. The rhinophore lamellae are bright orange.

Distribution

Originally described from the Celebes Sea (Malaysian EEZ) in the western Pacific. Subsequently recorded from Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.

Etymology

The specific epithet regius is Latin for "royal" or "regal", in reference to the showy branched processes of the species.

Remarks

The genus name Cabangus is taken from Indonesian cabang ("branch"), referring to the branched dorsolateral appendages that characterise the genus.

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References

• Dendronotus regius n. sp., Pola M. & Stout T.L. (2008). Descriptions of two new species of Dendronotus Alder & Hancock, 1845 (Mollusca: Nudibranchia) from the Western Pacific. Zootaxa. 1960: 45-66.
• Cabangus regius, Korshunova T., Bakken T., Grøtan V.V., Johnson K.B., Lundin K. & Martynov A. (2020). A synoptic review of the family Dendronotidae (Mollusca: Nudibranchia): a multilevel organismal diversity approach. Contributions to Zoology. 90(1): 93-153. https://doi.org/10.1163/18759866-bja10014