Pleurobranchus weberi ( Bergh, 1905 )

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 : 3-4

Pleurobranchus weberi ( Bergh, 1905) ( Fig. 1B )

Oscanius weberi Bergh, 1905: 53-55 , pl. 2, fig. 1, pl. 6, fig. 1-6.

Pleurobranchus weberi: Gosliner et al., 2008: 99 .

Materials examined. 1 individual, Mun-seom , Seogwi-dong, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do, Korea, 1 April 2013 (D. Jung) (KOSPIV0000180756) .

Description. Body ovate and large; body length 92 mm, width 78 mm in living animal; ground color light brown. Mantle widely spreads to covered whole foot; mantle edge slightly undulated. Dorsal markings milky white double rings around tubercles decrease in size toward to mantle edge. Translucent white lines on dorsal surface, short, irregular length. Dorsal tubercles small and rounded; increase in number to edge of mantle. Rhinophores short and enrolled; upper half dark brown; joined basally. Oral veil reversely trapezoid; deeper in color to posteriorly. Gills on right side between mantle and foot; gills bipinnated with 25 pinnae alternated on each side; central axis dark. Foot wide; anterior unilabiate; metapodium short and blunted.

Distribution. Korea, Indonesia, Philippines.

Remarks. This species is similar to P. peronii in the external morphology but can be easily distinguished by following characteristics:

Many species in the genus Pleurobranchus show a variety of body coloration. A previous study ( Gosliner et al., 2008) described this species as having a dark red ground color. Specimen examined in the present study showed a light brown ground color with several chocolate brown patches on the body except on the sole.

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.