Lomanotus vermiformis Eliot, 1908

Description

Ground colour olive-brown to brown. The body is exceptionally elongate, the source of the Japanese name "zenchu" (worm-like). Irregular white longitudinal lines run along the body. A row of white papillae fringes the mantle margin. The rhinophore sheaths are long, the rhinophores themselves short; sheaths match the body colour while the rhinophores are black. Oral tentacles short, with irregular white lines. Lives on hydroids. Reaches 30 mm in length.

Distribution

Widespread in the Indian Ocean, western Pacific and Red Sea. The type locality is the Sudanese Red Sea.

Etymology

The specific epithet vermiformis is the Latin for "worm-shaped", referring to the strikingly elongate body.

Remarks

Originally described in part XI 1908 of the "Reports on the Marine Biology of the Sudanese Red Sea" (J. Linn. Soc. Lond., Zool.). The Japanese vernacular name was proposed in the survey report on the opisthobranch fauna of northern Amami-Oshima.

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References

• Lomanotus vermiformis, Terrence Gosliner, Ángel Valdés and David Behrens. (2015). Nudibranch and Sea Slug Identification Indo-Pacific. New World Pubns Inc.
• ゼンチュウウミウシ* (新称), 中野理枝, 朝倉知子, 池田紫, 石川雅教, 今本淳, 岩瀬南美, 西田和記, 堀江諒, 山田久子 & 渡井久美. (2017). 奄美大島北部海域における後鰓類相の調査報告. Kuroshio Biosphere. 13: 1-18 + 6 pls.
• ナガムシウミウシ（改称）, 中野理枝. (2018). 日本のウミウシ. 文一総合出版.