Thorunna halourga

Species Profile
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Thorunna halourga
Author: R. Johnson & Gosliner, 2001
Order: Nudibranchia Family: Chromodorididae
Maximum Size: 20 mm
Sightings: Sunshine Coast
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This is a not-so-common species on the offshore reefs of the Sunshine Coast of Queensland Australia. Distribution is generally the Western Pacific but well-known in PNG and the Philippines. It has an interesting and unusual appearance.
Notice the spicules of calcium carbonate visible through the dorsal surface of the mantle, that are arranged as chevrons or in a herring-bone pattern. Although readily visible in images taken under studio lighting conditions, they are almost never apparent from in situ images.