Philine elegans Bergh, 1905

Description

A small philinid, 15 mm long, 6 mm wide, 4.5 mm high in preserved material. Ground colour yellowish-white, with the chalk-white internal shell visible through the integument. The dark gizzard ("Kaumagen") shows through as blue-black along the groove between the anterior and posterior shields, posteriorly along the flanks, and along the midline of the sole. A fine pore lies on each side of the anterior shield above the mouth opening, and a fine longitudinal groove runs along the midline of the shield. The foot has no anterior groove and an obliquely cut posterior edge.

Distribution

Type locality: anchorage east of Dangar Besar, Saleh Bay, north Sumbawa, Indonesia (Siboga station 313), 36 m depth. Subsequently recorded across the Indo-West Pacific.

Etymology

The Latin adjective elegans means "elegant, refined", in reference to the elegant form of the species.

Remarks

The principal diagnostic character is the unusual morphology of the three gizzard plates ("Kauplatten") — left/right asymmetric, with a strong boat-shaped concavity on the third plate and a more strongly projecting masticatory knob.

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References

• Philine elegans, Terrence Gosliner, Ángel Valdés and David Behrens. (2018). Nudibranch and Sea Slug Identification Indo-Pacific 2nd Edition. New World Pubns Inc.