OKINAWAN
OPISTHOBRANCH OF THE WEEK
Thorunna daniellae (Kay & Young, 1969) 10mm
Opisthobranch of the Week Data
Taxonomy:
- Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
- Suborder: Doridina
- Family: Chromodorididae
Frequency on Okinawa:
Collection Data:
- Individual Collection No: RFB #3541-B
- Location: Horseshoe Cliffs, Okinawa (26o30.0'N, 127o50.9'E) [Horseshoe & Seragaki]
- Date: 27 December, 1996 [6 Jul '90, 17 Apr '93, 19 Jul '94, 28 Jul '94, 27 Dec '96]
- Depth: 10ft (3m) [10ft, 10ft, 10ft, 30ft, 30ft]
- Water temperature at collection depth: 70.2oF (21.2oC)
- Size: TL 10mm [9mm, 9mm, 10mm, 10mm, 10mm]
- Specimen deposited: California Academy of Sciences
[brackets indicate range for all Okinawa-collected specimens of the species]
Species Account:
Thorunna daniellae is considered to be rare on Okinawa; I've seen and collected a total of five individuals as of early June, 2000. The above featured animal was found during a daytime SCUBA excursion crawling amid live stony corals at the reef edge. I've included an image of an additional animal (9mm from a depth of three meters at Seragaki, Okinawa), collected on the 17th of April, 1993.
Rudman's description (1990) of the species' shape and color agree nicely with the Okinawan material, including the rhythmic waving of the gills.
Literature Cited:
- Rudman, W.B. 1990. The Chromodorididae (Opisthobranchia: Mollusca) of the Indo-West Pacific: further species of Glossodoris, Thorunna and the Chromodoris aureomarginata colour group. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 100(3): 263-326.
Page Date: 03 Jul '00
Page Modification Date: 03 Jul '00
Digitally manipulated photo
Copyright © 2000 Robert F. Bolland
