OKINAWAN
OPISTHOBRANCH OF THE WEEK

Philine trapezia Hedley, 1902 (4mm)
Photo by Atsushi Ono

Opisthobranch of the Week Data

Taxonomy:

Order: CEPHALASPIDEA
Family: Philinidae

Frequency on Okinawa:

Very rare

Collection Data:

Individual Collection No: Atsushi Ono (photo only, without specimen)
Location: Zamami Island, Kerama Islands, Okinawa
Date: February, 1999 [only a single animal seen and photographed]
Depth: Intertidal
Water temperature at photo depth: ca. 72^oF (ca. 22^oC)
Size: TL 4mm [only a single animal seen and photographed]
Specimen deposited: Photo only, without specimen

[brackets indicate range for all Okinawa-collected specimens of the species]

Species Account:

I've not personally seen Philine trapezia here in the waters of Okinawa's main island and Atsushi Ono mentions (pers. comm.) seeing only the above single featured animal in the Keramas*. Atsushi found this solitary animal amid an old fishing net which had been lost on a coral reef. Atsushi of course considers the species to be very rare in the Keramas.

Bill Rudman (1998) features an image and short discussion of Philine trapezia on the Sea Slug Forum collected from New South Wales.

Literature Cited:

Rudman, W.B., 1998 (December 18). Philine trapezia Hedley, 1902. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from: http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet.cfm?base=philtrap

* Keramas = the Kerama Islands Group, located 30 ~ 40 kilometers west of the Okinawa capitol, Naha.

OKINAWANOPISTHOBRANCH OF THE WEEK

OKINAWAN
OPISTHOBRANCH OF THE WEEK