Thuridilla neona Gosliner, 1995

Description

A small sacoglossan, body length about 10-15 mm. Background colour green with a slight bluish tinge. The parapodial margin is lined with a broad undulating band of burnt orange. Inside this run thin undulating bands of reflective bright orange, black, and reflective bright blue. The head and base of the rhinophores are opaque white. The lateral margin of the head bears lines of reflective blue, black, reflective orange, and burnt orange. The rhinophores have diagonal lines of reflective blue, black, reflective orange, burnt orange and white pigment, with an orange apex. The anterior margin of the foot is burnt orange.

Distribution

Windward and leeward Hawaiian Islands, USA.

Etymology

The specific epithet neona refers to the bright "electric" or neon colours that adorn the parapodia, head, and anterior margins of the foot.

Remarks

Most closely related morphologically to Thuridilla hopei (Vérany, 1853) from the Mediterranean. Thuridilla hopei has a bluish body colour but lacks the burnt orange, black, and blue lines around the parapodial margin found in Thuridilla neona. Internally, Thuridilla neona has wider radular teeth than Thuridilla hopei, and the penial bulb is widest distally (vs widest proximally in Thuridilla hopei).

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References

• Thuridilla neona sp. nov., Gosliner T.M. (1995). The genus Thuridilla (Opisthobranchia: Elysiidae) from the tropical Indo-Pacific, with a revision of the phylogeny and systematics of the Elysiidae. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences. 49(1): 1-54.
• ネオンミドリガイ（新称）, スーザン・ミドルトン他. (2015). 海の美しい無脊椎動物. 創元社.