Elysia chitwa Er. Marcus, 1955

Krug, Patrick J., Vendetti, Jann E. & Valdés, Ángel, 2016, Molecular and morphological systematics of Elysia Risso, 1818 (Heterobranchia: Sacoglossa) from the Caribbean region, Zootaxa 4148 (1), pp. 1-137 : 62-63

Elysia chitwa Er. Marcus, 1955

(Not figured)

Elysia chitwa Er. Marcus 1955: 115 –117, figs. 53–56, 58 (Type locality: São Sebastião Island , Brazil), nomen dubium — Er. Marcus 1957: 415, fig. 46; Ev. Marcus 1980: 68 figs. 11, 37, 39, 51.

Type material. Elysia chitwa— Untraceable, not at MZSP ( Siqueira Dornellas & Simone 2011).

Material examined. No specimens available.

Live animal. No live specimens were observed.

External anatomy. Er. Marcus (1955) briefly described this species as follows. “The green diverticles of the liver and red dots produce a general aspect similar to E. canguzua . Black pigment occurs in form of coarse granules in the shoulder furrow, on the outer border of the rhinophores, and between mouth and rhinophores. Small melanophores are scattered over the dorsal surface and the parapodia.” An illustration of the preserved specimen ( Er. Marcus 1955: fig. 53) shows a small Elysia with indistinct parapodia and lacking any visible dorsal vessels.

Internal anatomy. Er. Marcus (1955: fig. 58) illustrated the penis of this species as elongate and thin with no penial stylet.

Radula with an undetermined number of teeth. Teeth short and robust with cusp lacking denticles. Housing depression for interlocking teeth “V”-shaped ( Er. Marcus 1955: fig. 56).

Reproduction and development. No data available.

Host ecology. No data available.

Phylogenetic relationships. No specimens available.

Range. Brazil ( Er. Marcus 1955).

Remarks. This species has not been collected since its original description. Although it is possibly a valid and distinct species, its taxonomic status remains unknown.