Phyllidia alyta Yonow, 1996

Description

A mid-sized phyllidiid reaching about 40 mm in body length. The body is oval with a grey dorsal background. Four longitudinal black lines run along the dorsum, and yellow tubercles are arranged between the central two lines only — none occur between the outer line pairs. The rhinophores are yellow. Externally similar to Phyllidia arabica, but distinguished by the restriction of the yellow tubercles to the central inter-line area.

Distribution

Type locality: Kandholudhu Tila, Ari Atoll, Maldives, at 24 m depth. Recorded across the western and central Indian Ocean, including the Maldives, Mauritius, Réunion, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar.

Remarks

Long confused with Phyllidia arabica; formally separated in a systematic revision of Indian Ocean phyllidiids. Members of the family Phyllidiidae feed on sponges.

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References

• Phyllidia alyta, Yonow N. (1996). Systematic Revision of the Family Phyllidiidae in the Indian Ocean Province: Part 1 (Opisthobranchia: Nudibranchia: Doridoidea). Journal of Conchology, London. 35(6): 483-516.