Felimare sp.

Delgado, Marlon, Freire, Fúlvio Aurélio de Morais, Meirelles, Carlos Augusto Oliveira de, Padula, Vinicius, Bahia, Juliana & Brandão, Simone Nunes, 2022, Sea slugs (Gastropoda: Heterobranchia) from Rio Grande do Norte, Northeastern Brazil, Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia 62, pp. 1-26 : 13-14

23. Felimare sp. ( Fig. 3H )

Material examined: CabeÇo de Barreirinhas, Nísia Floresta, 20. VI.2009, one specimen, 14 mm (body length), leg. V. Padula ( MNRJ 13896), 18.VIII.2009, one specimen, 13 mm (body length), leg. M. Delgado ( GEEFAA 313), 31.X.2009, one specimen, 15 mm (body length), leg. M. Delgado ( GEEFAA 262a).

Description: Body elongated and narrow, 13 to 15 mm (body length) in length. Body blue with three dorsal, yellow and purple longitudinal lines beginning in the base of the rhinophores and gills. Head dark with white and yellow spots. Two dark spots, one medially and other posteriorly. Translucent, creamish gill. Foot dorsally dark blue, dorso-centrally and dorso-posteriorly with oval, yellow spots with white borders, ventrally white. Anteriorly with notum covering the head; eyes present; a pair of retractile lamellate rhinophores; oral tentacles very close to the mouth. Posteriorly, with seven unipinnate, retractile gill leaves around the anus.

Geographic distribution: Rio Grande do Norte (present study).

Remarks: Similar to Felimare ruthae (Ev. Marcus & Hughes, 1974) from the Caribbean Sea but with a different color pattern. Felimare ruthae has a black and blue body with a large, white submarginal band and large gill with blue apical region, while the specimens studied herein are beige and blue, without a white margin, and presenting beige gill without blue markings. Further research is needed to clarify if it represents a color variation of F.ruthae or an undescribed species.

Figures

Figure 3. Heterobranchsea slugsfrom Rio Grandedo Norte.(A) Phyllaplysiaengeli (6mm – GEEFAA342);(B)Berthela agassizii(11mm –MZSP 97047);(C) Berthella nebula (7 mm– GEEFAA 1307);(D)Berthella vialactea(14mm – GEEFAA 304);(E) Berthellinaignis (10 mm– GEEFAA 335);(F) Cadlina rumia(10mm – GEEFAA311); (G) Felimida clenchi (9 mm – MZSP 97070); (H) Felimare sp. (13 mm – GEEFAA 313); (I) Tyrinna evelinae (18 mm – GEEFAA 1305); (J) Diaulula greeleyi (20 mm – GEEFAA 259a); (K) Discodoris branneri (70 mm – MZSP 97063); (L) Geitodoris pusae (14 mm – GEEFAA 338); (M.1) Sclerodoris prea (33 mm – GEEFAA 1314); (M.2) Sclerodoris prea (35 mm – GEEFAA1314); (N) Taringa iemanja (25 mm – MZSP 97062);(O) Taringa telopia (18 mm – MZSP 97071).