Elysia obtusa Baba, 1938

Mehrotra, Rahul, A. Caballer Gutierrez, Manuel, M. Scott, Chad, Arnold, Spencer, Monchanin, Coline, Viyakarn, Voranop & Chavanich, Suchana, 2021, An updated inventory of sea slugs from Koh Tao, Thailand, with notes on their ecology and a dramatic biodiversity increase for Thai waters, ZooKeys 1042, pp. 73-188 : 73

publication ID

https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1042.64474

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9CF986D8-6A47-4E17-9A67-245C78FB8AFD

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/3AA5F008-E3CF-5E61-86C9-AE12D1DCC10A

treatment provided by

ZooKeys by Pensoft

scientific name

Elysia obtusa Baba, 1938
status

 

* Elysia obtusa Baba, 1938 View in CoL Figure 4L View Figure 4

Material examined.

One specimen 9 mm, CB; one specimen 12 mm, TW.

Ecology.

Among rubble, particularly found underneath the skeletons of dead Fungiidae corals, in shallow coral reef habitats. No association with prey was observed but is known to be part of a group of species feeding on the alga Bryopsis ( Krug et al. 2016). Depth 3-8 m.

Distribution.

Across the Indo-Pacific including India ( Apte et al. 2010), Taiwan ( Huang et al. 2016), Hong Kong ( Jensen 2003), Japan ( Trowbridge et al. 2011), Australia ( Nimbs and Smith 2016), Samoa ( Wägele et al. 2010), Madagascar, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Korea, Guam, Marshall Islands, and Hawaii ( Gosliner et al. 2008 as Elysia flava Verrill, 1901). Here representing a first record for Thai waters.

Remarks.

Both individuals recorded were found adhering to the underside of dead fungiid skeletons. The species is locally rare and here included as a first record for the Gulf of Thailand and Thai waters in general.

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Mollusca

Class

Gastropoda

SubClass

Heterobranchia

Order

Squamata

SubOrder

Plakobranchacea

SuperFamily

Plakobranchoidea

Family

Plakobranchidae

Genus

Elysia