Verconia simplex (Pease, 1871)

Location: Tengan(Kombu), Okinawa Island (East coast), Okinawa, Japan
Date: 2015/06/25
Length: 5mm
Depth: 5.0m
Water temperature: 28.0℃

Description

A small chromodorid reaching about 19 mm in body length. The body is smooth, oblong, convexly rounded above, rounded at either end, with sides nearly parallel. The rhinophores are well developed, sub-clavate, slightly compressed laterally, on stout peduncles with very oblique laminae, retractile into tubular cavities. The gill is small, half the width of the body, of eight sub-erect lanceolate pinnate plumules, retractile into a simple cavity. The oral tentacles are reduced to small lobes. The foot is elongate, narrow, slightly dilated and rounded in front, tapering behind to an acute point, projecting beyond the mantle some distance. In life the ground colour is pale pinkish flesh, passing into white toward the margins, which are edged with a more or less broken bright red line. All specimens observed bore a single red spot on the dorsal region a short distance posterior to the middle. The rhinophores and the upper half of the gill plumules are bright red. The under surface is the same as the upper but somewhat paler. Pease's type was about 3/4 inch (≈ 1.9 cm) long, from Maiao Island.

Distribution

Indo-West Pacific to the central Pacific. Type locality: Maiao Island, Society Islands, based on a specimen collected by Andrew Garrett and described by Pease. Subsequently recorded from the Hawaiian Islands, southern Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Guam, New Caledonia, Fiji and elsewhere.

Etymology

The specific epithet simplex is the Latin adjective meaning "simple, uncomplicated", in reference to the unornamented colour pattern. Pease did not state an etymology, but the meaning is consistent with the simplicity of the species' colour pattern compared with the other showy Chromodoris species in the same paper.

Remarks

Originally placed by Pease in Chromodoris. Later transferred to Verconia; the parentheses in the author citation reflect this generic transfer. The Japanese name "シロウサギウミウシ" ("white-rabbit slug") refers to the white body with red marginal line, evoking a white rabbit.

Photographed by 今川郁

Description

Distribution

Etymology

Remarks

References

A Kindle field guide by the site author

Seasonality

Shooting Locations

Photos of Verconia simplex

Same Genus Nudibranchs

Similar Colors Nudibranchs

Academic Database