Trapania scurra Gosliner & Fahey, 2008

Location: Seraya, Tulamben, Pulau Bali, Indonesia
Date: 2015/11/14
Length: 5mm
Depth: 21.0m
Water temperature: 29.0℃

Description

Body 14–15 mm long, stout and convex, lacking a notal margin. Widest at the branchial region. Oral tentacles are long, cylindrical with rounded apices. Rhinophores are short with seven lamellae and roughly uniform in width along their length. Extra-rhinophoral appendages are long compared with the rhinophores and have a curved apex. Extra-branchial appendages are wide, curved and longer than the extra-rhinophoral appendages. Gill consists of three bipinnate branches.
The body is translucent lavender with creamy white or yellow patches. The anterior surface of the foot is bright blue, with some blue showing between the cream-yellow patches on the upper surface of the foot. The anterior foot tentacles have creamy white bases and blue tips. The oral tentacles are the same bright blue as the anterior edge of the head. Extra-rhinophoral and extra-branchial appendages are translucent white at the base with red-brown pigment midpoint and near the apices. The rhinophores are translucent lavender with deeper lavender lamellae. Gill leaves are also translucent, each with a lavender rachis.

Distribution

Philippines (type locality: Maricaban Island, Batangas), Indonesia and Malaysia.

Etymology

Verbatim from the original description (Gosliner & Fahey, 2008, p.68):

The specific name scurra is taken from the Latin word for 'jester'. The bright unusual colours found on this species are reminiscent of a clown or court jester.

Remarks

Described as one of 16 new Indo-Pacific Trapania species in Gosliner, T.M. & Fahey, S.J. 2008 Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 152: 53-111. The authors stated: "Externally, this species does not closely resemble any other Trapania in its colour pattern ... No other Trapania has the bright blue colouration found on the foot and oral tentacles. No other species has large opaque white spots on pale lavender background colour with lavender gill leaves" (p.69). The radula is also unique among Trapania in having "the same number of denticles on the outside of the main cusp as are found inside the cusp" (p.69).