Melibe coralophilia Gosliner & Pola, 2012

Description

A relatively large Melibe reaching 120 mm alive (60 mm preserved). The body is wide, somewhat dorsally compressed, and deep golden brown with lighter and darker patches that probably reflect zooxanthellae density. The dorsum is densely covered with compound tubercles forming a mid-dorsal crest. The oral hood is small relative to the body, bearing five rows of thick, short papillae. Rhinophore sheaths are thick, largely cylindrical, with few tubercles, and the rhinophore club has 4–6 lateral lamellae. Cerata are wedge-shaped, with the digestive gland extending throughout. The buccal mass is massive and muscular, with jaws bearing a finely denticulate masticatory margin.

Distribution

Type locality: Caban Island, Tingloy, Batangas, Luzon, Philippines, 1–2 m depth. Also recorded from Mabul Island, Borneo, Malaysia.

Etymology

Verbatim from the original description (Gosliner & Pola, 2012, p.341):

this species is named Melibe coralophilia as it has been found in association with Porites and Heliopora corals.

Remarks

The egg mass is carried on the right side of the body, posterior to the genital atrium, between the mantle and foot — a habit not seen in other Melibe species.

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References

• Melibe sp., Coleman N. (2008). Nudibranchs Encyclopedia: Catalogue of Asia/Indo-Pacific Sea Slugs. Neville Coleman's Underwater Geographic Pty Ltd, Springwood, Australia. 416 pp.
• Melibe sp. 3, Gosliner T.M., Behrens D.W. & Valdés Á. (2008). Indo-Pacific Nudibranchs and Sea Slugs: A field guide to the world's most diverse fauna. Sea Challengers Natural History Books, 426 pp.
• Melibe coralophilia sp. nov., Gosliner T.M. & Pola M. (2012). Diversification of filter-feeding nudibranchs: two remarkable new species of Melibe (Opisthobranchia: Tethyiidae) from the tropical western Pacific. Systematics and Biodiversity. 10(3): 333-349.
• Melibe coralophilia, Terrence Gosliner, Ángel Valdés and David Behrens. (2015). Nudibranch and Sea Slug Identification Indo-Pacific. New World Pubns Inc.
• サンゴメリべ（新称）, 中野理枝. (2018). 日本のウミウシ. 文一総合出版.