Kary Mar
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Unidentia aliciae Korshunova, Mehrotra, Arnold, Lundin, Picton & Martynov, 2019
There are currently 4 known species of the genus Unidentia:
Unidentia aliciae Korshunova, Mehrotra, Arnold, Lundin, Picton & Martynov, 2019
Unidentia nihonrossija Korshunova, Martynov, Bakken, Evertsen, Fletcher, Mudianta, Saito, Lundin, Schrödl & Picton, 2017
Unidentia angelvaldesi Millen & Hermosillo, 2012
Unidentia sandramillenae Korshunova, Martynov, Bakken, Evertsen, Fletcher, Mudianta, Saito, Lundin, Schrödl & Picton, 2017
Unidentia aliciae is a thread snail with a long, narrow body and without a pronounced notal margin.
The foot is also narrow and the tail is not particularly long, so that the long, trailing cerata usually conceal it.
The rhinophores are smooth and pointed and have eye drops at their base. The oral tentacles are also smooth and similar in length to the rhinophores, but much more finely tapered distally.
A characteristic feature is a purple spot on the head, described by the authors as "teardrop-shaped".
It is broad in front between the oral tentacles and tapers backwards to end just before the rhinophores.
After a gap between the rhinophores, a narrow purple line begins just behind the rhinophores and continues, often interrupted, backwards to the tail.
Another thin purple line is located laterally on each side of the notum, which begins just behind the bases of the oral tentacles and continues, interrupted, laterally to the ceratal bases and ends just before the tail (below and covered by these).
The oral tentacles are strongly purple pigmented on the basal half up to two thirds (sometimes on the entire length), often only on the dorsal surface, while the distal third is opaque white pigmented up to halfway.
The rhinophores are similarly colored as the dorsum (without any purple pigment), but carry opaque white pigment up to the distal third or less.
The dorsal surface of the propodial tentacles bears a purple stripe, the cerata are translucent with the orange digestive diverticulum showing through (this color depends on the most recent prey and the strength of the color of that prey).
The outermost tips of the cerata are translucent and underneath is a broad band of opaque white pigment, followed by a broad purple band.
Unidentia aliciae feeds on hydrozoan colonies, which are Corydendrium species.
The spawn is deposited as a pale orange spiral on its hydroid prey.
Distribution:
The type locality is given as Koh Tao, Thailand.
Apart from the Mooloolah River, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, a source of many variant/undescribed cryptic species of Unidentia nudibranchs, there appear to have been no other sightings to date.
Etymology. This species is named in honour of Alicia Hermosillo who, together with Sandra Millen, recognized the uniqueness of the family Unidentiidae.
There are currently 4 known species of the genus Unidentia:
Unidentia aliciae Korshunova, Mehrotra, Arnold, Lundin, Picton & Martynov, 2019
Unidentia nihonrossija Korshunova, Martynov, Bakken, Evertsen, Fletcher, Mudianta, Saito, Lundin, Schrödl & Picton, 2017
Unidentia angelvaldesi Millen & Hermosillo, 2012
Unidentia sandramillenae Korshunova, Martynov, Bakken, Evertsen, Fletcher, Mudianta, Saito, Lundin, Schrödl & Picton, 2017
Unidentia aliciae is a thread snail with a long, narrow body and without a pronounced notal margin.
The foot is also narrow and the tail is not particularly long, so that the long, trailing cerata usually conceal it.
The rhinophores are smooth and pointed and have eye drops at their base. The oral tentacles are also smooth and similar in length to the rhinophores, but much more finely tapered distally.
A characteristic feature is a purple spot on the head, described by the authors as "teardrop-shaped".
It is broad in front between the oral tentacles and tapers backwards to end just before the rhinophores.
After a gap between the rhinophores, a narrow purple line begins just behind the rhinophores and continues, often interrupted, backwards to the tail.
Another thin purple line is located laterally on each side of the notum, which begins just behind the bases of the oral tentacles and continues, interrupted, laterally to the ceratal bases and ends just before the tail (below and covered by these).
The oral tentacles are strongly purple pigmented on the basal half up to two thirds (sometimes on the entire length), often only on the dorsal surface, while the distal third is opaque white pigmented up to halfway.
The rhinophores are similarly colored as the dorsum (without any purple pigment), but carry opaque white pigment up to the distal third or less.
The dorsal surface of the propodial tentacles bears a purple stripe, the cerata are translucent with the orange digestive diverticulum showing through (this color depends on the most recent prey and the strength of the color of that prey).
The outermost tips of the cerata are translucent and underneath is a broad band of opaque white pigment, followed by a broad purple band.
Unidentia aliciae feeds on hydrozoan colonies, which are Corydendrium species.
The spawn is deposited as a pale orange spiral on its hydroid prey.
Distribution:
The type locality is given as Koh Tao, Thailand.
Apart from the Mooloolah River, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, a source of many variant/undescribed cryptic species of Unidentia nudibranchs, there appear to have been no other sightings to date.
Etymology. This species is named in honour of Alicia Hermosillo who, together with Sandra Millen, recognized the uniqueness of the family Unidentiidae.
