Phyllidia marindica (Yonow & Hayward, 1991)

Description

An oval-bodied phyllidiid. Mantle ground colour bluish grey, with a single longitudinal blue ridge along the dorsal midline bearing a single row of yellow-tipped tubercles. The midline ridge is flanked on either side by a longitudinal black band. Anal aperture located ventrally (a Fryeria-type arrangement) in the original combination, on which basis the species was originally placed in Reyfria / Fryeria.

Distribution

Western Indian Ocean to the western Pacific. Records include the type locality (Mauritius), South Africa, the Maldives, Seychelles, Thailand and northwestern Australia.

Etymology

The specific epithet marindica is a Latin compound of mare ("sea") and indicus ("Indian"), meaning "of the Indian Ocean", in reference to the species' Indian Ocean distribution.

Remarks

Originally described as Reyfria marindica Yonow & Hayward (1991: 23, figs 10C, D, 13E) from Mauritius. The genus name Reyfria is now treated as a misspelling of Fryeria Gray, 1853. The species was redescribed by Yonow 1996 under Fryeria marindica in "Systematic Revision of the Family Phyllidiidae in the Indian Ocean Province: Part 1" (Journal of Conchology, London, 35(6): 510, 1996), with reference to additional Maldivian material. Subsequently transferred to Phyllidia (and currently to Phyllidiella in some treatments) following the synonymisation of Fryeria with Phyllidia.

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References

• Fryeria marindica, 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.
• Phyllidia marindica, Terrence Gosliner, Ángel Valdés and David Behrens. (2015). Nudibranch and Sea Slug Identification Indo-Pacific. New World Pubns Inc.