Author: Undescribed

Order: Sacoglossa  Family: Limapontiidae

Maximum Size: 3 mm

Sightings: Sunshine Coast

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Placida sp. 02 Undescribed

The illustrated specimen is a juvenile of the species measuring 3-4 mm in length.

A sap-sucking sacoglossan of the Limapontiidae family.

The body shape is aeolidiform with a bluntly tapering tail. Rhinophores are long and simple and there are large eye spots widely spaced and located significantly posterior to rhinophores, on the “neck”. The animal is translucent with opaque white spots on the rhinophores, anterior of head, cerata, being especially concentrated at the apices, tail and anterior of foot. A broad red stripe, on cream, is located on the midline of the head and neck between rhinophores and eyespots. Reddish spots, on white, are visible midway down the body length over the pericardial hump. The translucent cerata each arise from a narrow stalk to be swollen fusiform in shape with a green to tan coloured, unbranched digestive gland visible within. The digestive gland is also visible laterally down each side of the body servicing the cerata and also penetrating anteriorly at least to the base of each rhinophore.

Possibly = Placida sp. 5 of NSSI, 2018

Specimen located intertidally on seagrass and algae.

David A. Mullins – March 2023

References:
– Gosliner, T. M., Valdés, Á., and Behrens, D. W. (2018). Nudibranch & Sea Slug Identification: Indo-Pacific – 2nd Ed. New World Publications: Jacksonville, FL.