Polycera melanosticta M. C. Miller, 1996

Description

A small polycerid dorid. The body is white to translucent, densely scattered with white and black spots. The underside is tinged brown. The rhinophores and gills are also covered with black spots; each gill leaf has an orange base and a black tip.

Distribution

Originally described from beneath a paint raft at Devonport Naval Base, Waitemata Harbour, Auckland, New Zealand.

Etymology

The specific epithet melanosticta derives from the Greek melanostiktos ("black-spotted"), in reference to the dense black spotting over the body.

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References

• Polycera melanosticta n. sp., Miller M.C. (1996). A new species of the dorid nudibranch genus Polycera Cuvier, 1816 (Gastropoda: Opisthobranchia) from New Zealand. Journal of Molluscan Studies. 62(4): 443-451.