Nudibranchs - Sunshine Coast etc. / 0409
All photos copyright ©2003-2008 Gary Cobb
1/10/03
Gary Cobb 0416 048 100
gary@nudibranch.com.au
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0409

Phyllidia elegans  Bergh, 1869
Location: The Pinnacles, Sunshine Coast, Mooloolaba, Queensland Australia
Size: 40 mm
Depth: 20 m
Temperature: 24 C

ORDER: NUDIBRANCHIA
FAMILY: Phyllidiidae

white black lines stripe
Photographs by Gary Cobb - Copyright 2003-2008

m11193a m11194a

The broken black line down the midline of the sole of the foot is a useful character.
And yes those are gills you can see on the underside down each side of the body.
Phyllidiids have lost the circle of gills around a dorsal anus and replaced it with these leaflets along each side.
They are what we call secondary gills.
Thanks to Bill Rudman
http://www.seaslugforum.net


Foot sole has black line