MORPHOLOGY
Living animals of moderately size, reaching 30 mm in length. Body translucent purple, with thin white band encircling the margin of notum and foot. Five unipinnate gill branches on notum. One large specimen (CASIZ 071237) with seven gill branches. Gill branches light orange, with darker orange at their common base. Base of gill pocket deep violet. Bulb of rhinophores bright orange, with redder apex. Bulb with ~25 densely packed lamellae. Base of rhinophore sheath deep violet to purple.
DISTRIBUTION
Known only from the Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands (present study).
ETYMOLOGY
Hypselodoris melanesica is named for Melanesia, the region to which this species is geographically restricted.
References
- Hypselodoris sp. 16, Terrence Gosliner, Ángel Valdés and David Behrens. (2015). Nudibranch and Sea Slug Identification Indo-Pacific. New World Pubns Inc.
- Epstein, H. E.; Hallas, J. M.; Johnson, R. F.; Lopez, A.; Gosliner, T. M. (2018). Reading between the lines: revealing cryptic species diversity and colour patterns in Hypselodoris nudibranchs (Mollusca: Heterobranchia: Chromodorididae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 48: 1-74., available online at https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zly048
- Hypselodoris melanesica, Terrence Gosliner, Ángel Valdés and David Behrens. (2018). Nudibranch and Sea Slug Identification Indo-Pacific 2nd Edition. New World Pubns Inc.