Phyllodesmium acanthorhinum E. Moore & Gosliner, 2014

Location: Horse Shoes, Okinawa Island (Onna and Yomitan area), Okinawa, Japan
Date: 2016/04/13
Length: 17mm
Depth: 2.0m
Water temperature: 21.0℃

Description

Ground colour translucent yellowish white. The mantle margin and the foot margin are bordered with fine white lines. White dots are concentrated along the dorsal midline, sometimes coalescing into a line, and additional white dots or lines run laterally from the midline. Cerata elongately fusiform and gently undulate, transparent with yellowish-white tips. The digestive gland is brownish orange-yellow and undulate within each ceras. Rhinophores translucent yellowish white with yellowish-white tips and scattered small white papillae — a key diagnostic feature. Oral tentacles long and smooth, translucent yellowish white at the base and yellowish white distally. Reaches 32 mm in length.

Distribution

Known from Japan.

Etymology

From Greek akantha ("spine") + rhinos ("nose / rhinophore"), meaning "with spiny rhinophores".

Remarks

Many species of Phyllodesmium retain zooxanthellae from their octocoral / soft-coral prey within the cerata and lead a "solar-powered" life. Phyllodesmium taxonomy is based heavily on the colour pattern of the cerata and the structure of the digestive-gland branching.