Pleurobranchus peronii Cuvier, 1804

Jung, Daewui, Lee, Jongrak & Kim, Chang-Bae, 2014, A report of four unrecorded species of opisthobranch molluscs from Korea, Journal of Species Research 3 (1), pp. 1-6 : 2-3

Pleurobranchus peronii Cuvier, 1804 ( Fig. 1A )

Pleurobranchus peronii Cuvier, 1804: 266 , 275, pl. 18, fig. 1-6; Tryon and Pilsbry, 1895: 207-208, pl. 48, fig. 24-28, pl. 74, fig. 88-90; Gosliner et al., 2008: 100.

Pleurobranchus hirasei Baba, 1971: 24-25 , pl. 3; Okutani 2000: 771.

Materials examined. 3 individuals, Hwasun-ri, Andeokmyeon, Seogwipo-si , Jeju-do, 25 May 2013 (D. Jung) (KOSPIV0000185832).

Description. Body ovate and large; length 67-102 mm, width 63-81 mm in living animal; yellow to reddish purple. Mantle covered foot except posterior end. Whole dorsum covered with small rounded tubercles; several tips of tubercles white, orange or dark purple. Reticulate pigment around the tubercles dark or white. Rhinophores enrolled and wrinkled; joined basally. Oral veil small and reversely trapezoid. Gills on right side of body, covered by mantle; bipinnated and alternated 22-23 pinnae on each side. Foot wide; anteriorly bilabiated; metapodium blunted and orange in color.

Distribution. Korea, Japan, Hawaii, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Australia, South Africa, Madagascar, Tanzania.

Remarks. P. peronii has a range of body colors that includes pale translucent white, yellow, brown and deep purple ( Rudman, 1999). Specimens examined in this study were yellow to reddish orange in body color. Also, brighter colors were shown in younger specimens.

Figures

Fig. 1. Pleurobranchus peronii Cuvier, 1804 and Pleurobranchus weberi (Bergh, 1905). A. P. peronii (body length: 102 mm, width: 81 mm), living animal, dorsal view. B. P. weberi (body length: 92mm, width: 78mm), living animal, dorsal view. Scales=10mm.