Thuridilla splendens (Baba, 1949)
- Location
- Yamakawa Beach, Okinawa Island (Motobu and Northern area), Okinawa, Japan
- Date
- 2015/05/06
- Length
- 15mm
- Depth
- 6.0m
- Water temperature
- 23.2℃
Description
A brilliantly coloured sacoglossan, body length about 45 mm. Body surface smooth, parapodia narrow, anterior corner of the foot angular. The coloration is striking: dorsal midline of the head white, with a black band rising along each rhinophore from the white margins, on which thin yellow longitudinal lines run parallel. Rhinophore tips vermilion. The dorsum and inner faces of the parapodia are uniformly black. The outer surfaces of the parapodia and the foot are yellow-green and densely scattered with yellow dots; near the parapodial margin a black zone with 3-4 parallel yellow longitudinal lines runs, and the outermost parapodial edge is a narrow vermilion line. The anterior foot-corner and tail tip are vermilion. Radular ascending row 7 teeth, descending row 8 teeth, with rows of microdenticles on both ventral edges of each tooth.Distribution
Type locality is off Nishi-no-saki, Sagami Bay (500 m offshore, 10 m depth, April 1941, single specimen). The original description records the species only from Sagami Bay.Etymology
The specific epithet splendens is Latin for shining or splendid. The original description does not give an explicit etymology paragraph; the descriptive sense reflects the brilliant coloration.Remarks
The polychromatic pattern (white midline + black + yellow longitudinal lines + vermilion edge) makes it readily distinguishable from green or brown Elysia species.References
- Thuridilla splendens (Baba, 1949), 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.
- Elysia (Elysiq) sPlendens BABA, 1949 Hana-midorigai, Baba K. (1957). THE SPECIES OF THE GENUS ELYSIA FROM JAPAN. Publications of the Seto Marine Biological Laboratory. 6(1): 69-74. https://doi.org/10.5134/174573
- ハナミドリガイ, 小野篤司. (1999). ウミウシガイドブック. TBSブリタニカ.
- ハナミドリガイ, 鈴木敬宇. (2000). ウミウシガイドブック〈2〉. TBSブリタニカ.
- 高岡生物研究会. (2002). 日本海のウミウシ. 第2版.
- ハナミドリガイ, 中野理枝. (2004). 本州のウミウシ. ラトルズ.
- ハナミドリガイ, 小野篤司. (2004). 沖縄のウミウシ. ラトルズ.
A Kindle field guide by the site author
Kimoto N. (2026). Sea Slugs of Japan & the Indo-Pacific, 2nd Edition.
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Photos of Thuridilla splendens
Same Genus Nudibranchs
Similar Colors Nudibranchs
Academic Database
Sea slug observation data is available in international marine biodiversity databases.