Plocamopherus maderae is a species of sea slug, a nudibranch, a shell-less marine gastropod mollusk in the family Polyceridae.[1]

Plocamopherus maderae
Costa Teguise, Lanzarote.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Order: Nudibranchia
Superfamily: Polyceroidea
Family: Polyceridae
Genus: Plocamopherus
Species:
P. maderae
Binomial name
Plocamopherus maderae
(Lowe, 1842)

Description

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This nudibranch is orange or yellow-orange in colour, with numerous small dark brown spots and fewer, larger, poorly-defined, orange spots and patches. The mantle edge has three pairs of branched papillae, one behind the branchial plume, one in front and one mid-way along the back. These are marked with white pigment and there is a variable amount of white pigment along the mantle edge and behind the gills. The papillae behind the branchial plume bear rounded bioluminescent organs. The tail is long, flattened and has a dorsal crest. It is muscular and can be used for swimming. The gills are large, sparsely branched and held erect. The rhinophores have lamellate tips and a tapering stalk and are similar in colour to the body. Maximum size is about 50 mm.[2] This nudibranch is normally nocturnal, hiding beneath boulders in shallow water during daytime.

Distribution

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This species was described from Madeira. It has subsequently been reported from the Canary Islands and the Cape Verde Islands.[1][3][4]

References

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  1. ^ a b Plocamopherus maderae (R. T. Lowe, 1842). Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 10 January 2019.
  2. ^ Lowe, R.T., 1842. Description of a new dorsibranchiate gasteropod discovered at Madeira. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, (10): 51-53.
  3. ^ Rudman, W.B., 2003 (January 13) Plocamopherus maderae (Lowe, 1842). [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.
  4. ^ Köhler, E., 2018. Plocamopherus maderae (Lowe, 1842). Sea slugs of the world, accessed 2018-03-31.