Phyllidiella pustulosa (Cuvier, 1804)
- Location
- Goby a Crab, Lembeh, Sulawesi, Indonesia
- Date
- 2015/01/26
- Length
- 50mm
- Depth
- 8.0m
- Water temperature
- 29.0℃
Description
Body ground colour black, with numerous tubercles on the dorsum tinged pink, grey or pale greenish. Tubercles are clustered into compound knobs, and both the size and arrangement of these clusters vary considerably between individuals, even within the same locality. The rhinophores are entirely black. Body length reaches about 70 mm.Superficially similar to Phyllidiopsis fissurata, but Phyllidiella pustulosa is distinguished by its uniformly black rhinophores (white-tipped in P. fissurata).
Distribution
Widely distributed across the Indian Ocean and the western and central Pacific, and is one of the most representative phyllidiids of the Indo-West Pacific. In Japan it is common from central Honshu southward.Etymology
The specific epithet pustulosa is Latin for "covered with pustules", referring to the dense covering of tubercles on the dorsum.Remarks
Among the most commonly observed species in the genus Phyllidiella, with notable variation in colour and tubercle pattern even within a single locality. Like other phyllidiids, it feeds on sponges.References
- コイボウミウシ（新稱）, Baba K. (1949). Opisthobranchia of Sagami Bay collected by His Majesty the Emperor of Japan (相模湾産後鰓類図譜). Iwanami Shoten, Tokyo. 4+2+194+7 pp., pls. 1-50.
- オウイボウミウシ（新稱）, 馬場菊太郎 & 濱谷巌. (1952). 紀州産後鰓類目録. 南紀生物. Supplement 1: 1-11.
- Phyllidia pustulosa CUVIER, 1804 コイボウミウシ(馬場〉, 馬場菊太郎 & 濱谷巌. (1975). 紀伊産イボウミウシ科種名表. ちりぼたん. 8(7): 149-151.
- 高岡生物研究会. (2002). 日本海のウミウシ. 第2版.
A Kindle field guide by the site author
Kimoto N. (2026). Sea Slugs of Japan & the Indo-Pacific, 2nd Edition.
Kindle Edition
View on Amazon PR (Amazon Associates)Seasonality
Shooting Locations
Loading shooting locations...
Photos of Phyllidiella pustulosa
Tag:
Same Genus Nudibranchs
Similar Colors Nudibranchs
Academic Database
Sea slug observation data is available in international marine biodiversity databases.