Reading between the lines: revealing cryptic species diversity and colour patterns in Hypselodoris nudibranchs (Mollusca: Heterobranchia: Chromodorididae)
Author
Epstein, Hannah E.
Author
Hallas, Joshua M.
Author
Johnson, Rebecca Fay
Author
Lopez, Alessandra
Author
Gosliner, Terrence M.
text
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society
2018
2018-09-14
20
1
1
74
journal article
27363
10.1093/zoolinnean/zly048
49bea467-fac6-484a-9902-05483dec9a52
2632578
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:F0065FD2-417C
HYPSELODORIS PERII
GOSLINER & JOHNSON
SP. NOV.
(FIGS 2L, 13H, 18G, 23)
LSID
:
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:
0E629152-88A2- 4635-B40C-C9B0BEF05659
Noumea
sp.
Debelius, 1997
: 218, middle photograph.
Noumea
sp.
Coleman, 2001
: 84.
Hypselodoris
sp. 8.
Debelius & Kuiter, 2007
: 123, middle photograph.
Hypselodoris
sp. 13.
Gosliner
et al.
, 2015
: 261, upper right photograph.
Type material
Holotype
:
NMP
0 41281, (formerly
CASIZ 182751
), dissected,
Mainit Bubbles
,
13.6880278°N
,
120.95809°E
,
Calumpan Peninsula
,
Mabini
,
Batangas
,
Luzon Island
,
Philippines
,
40 m
depth,
17 May 2010
, Peri Paleracio.
Type locality
Mainit Bubbles, Mabini,
Batangas
, Luzon Island,
Philippines
,
13.6880278°N
,
120.95809°E
.
Geographical distribution
Known only from
Bali
,
Indonesia
(
Debelius, 1997
) and
Batangas
,
Philippines
from deep reefs (
Gosliner
et al
., 2008
,
2015
; present study).
Etymology
Hypselodoris perii
is named for good friend and diver guide extraordinaire, Peri Paleracio, who found the first specimen of this species in the
Philippines
. Peri has discovered many new species of marine life in the
Philippines
, and it is a pleasure to honor his efforts with this new species.
Description
External morphology
: Living animals (
Fig. 18G
) large, reaching
35 mm
in length. Body translucent white, with wine-red medial line and scattered, elongate wine-red oval rings surrounded by diffuse purple pigment. Wide yellow to yellow–orange marginal band present along entire mantle margin. Wine-red ring encircling base of gill sheath. Translucent white foot ornamented by wine-red spots having larger areas of purple surrounding them. Eight unipinnate gill branches with translucent white base and bright redorange pigment on apical surfaces and outer margin. Perfoliate rhinophores uniformly bright red–orange, bearing ~17 densely arranged lamellae.
Figure 23.
Hypselodoris perii
Gosliner & Johnson
sp. nov.
, holotype, NMP 0 41281, buccal armature. A, jaw rodlets. B, inner lateral teeth. C, middle lateral teeth. D, outer lateral teeth.
Mantle glands
: Subcutaneous mantle glands simple rounded in shape (
Fig. 2L
). Glands situated anteriorly and posteriorly, with no glands present along central regions of mantle margin. Four to five glands on either side of anterior end of the body, with an arc of 13 glands situated posteriorly.
Buccal armature
: Muscular portion of buccal mass approximately equal in length to oral tube. Buccal mass consisting of chitinous labial cuticle at anterior end of muscular portion of buccal mass. Jaws bearing numerous rodlets (
Fig. 23A
). Rodlets broadly triangular, with single acutely pointed apex. Radular formula of
holotype
42 × 40.0.40. Rachidian row of teeth absent (
Fig. 23B
). Innermost lateral teeth have a single large, triangular denticle on inner side of bifid primary cusp and lacking outer denticles. Next several laterals lacking inner triangular denticle and lacking denticles on outer side of primary bifid cusps. Midlateral teeth (
Fig. 23C
) also lacking inner denticles but possessing two or three triangular outer denticles. Outer teeth lacking inner denticles and having two to five triangular outer denticles (
Fig. 23D
). Outermost teeth with narrower base and more elongate tooth shape.
Reproductive system
: Reproductive organs of
holotype
not fully mature, but arrangement of all major organs evident (
Fig. 13H
). Ampulla thick, tubular and slightly convoluted, narrowing somewhat before bifurcating into the oviduct and vas deferens. Short oviduct entering female gland mass near albumen gland. Prostatic proximal portion of vas deferens curved and thick, narrowing slightly while transitioning into muscular ejaculatory portion. Ejaculatory portion curving into segment entering short, enlarged penial bulb. Penial bulb adjacent to straight, slender vaginal duct at common gonopore. Distal end of vas deferens devoid of penial hooks. Female gland mass consisting of large mucous gland and small membrane and albumen glands. Large, lobate vestibular gland situated near exit of mucous gland. Elongate vagina leading to minute receptaculum seminis and larger spherical, thin-walled receptaculum seminis. Short uterine duct emerging from about half of the length along duct to bursa. Uterine duct relatively short and entering female gland mass near albumen gland.
Remarks
The colour pattern of
H. perii
clearly differentiates it from the all other described species. It is the only species with an elongate medial longitudinal reddish line and reddish oval markings. The most similar species is
Hypselodoris
dollfusi
(
Pruvot-Fol, 1933
), which was re-described by
Gosliner & Behrens (2000)
. Although both species are translucent white, with a yellow marginal band and wine-red and purple markings, there are numerous differences in the external colour pattern of the two species.
Hypselodoris
dollfusi
lacks the medial longitudinal line that is present in
H. perii
. In
H. dollfusi
, the wine-red markings are narrow circles, which contain purple pigment. In contrast,
H. perii
has broad reddish ovals surrounded by diffuse purple pigment. In
H. dollfusi
, there are red and purple rings at the base of the rhinophores and the gill pocket, whereas in
H. perii
there is only a red ring at the base of the gill. In
H. dollfusi
, the gill and rhinophores are deep red, whereas they are red–orange in
H. perii
. The red pigment on the gill of
H. dollfusi
is restricted to the axis of each gill branch, whereas in
H. perii
the entire external surface of each gill branch is red–orange. Externally, both
H. dollfusi
and
H. perii
have anterior and posterior mantle glands and lack glands in the centre portion of the body. The glands are more numerous in
H. dollfusi
(12–18 anterior glands per side of the body and 22 posterior glands) vs. three or four anterior glands per side and 13 posterior glands in
H. perii
.
Internally, there are also differences between the two species. The radular formula of
H. dollfusi
contains more rows of teeth (66 vs. 42) and more teeth per row than does the radula (88 vs. 40) of
H. perii
. In the single individual of
H. dollfusi
examined, the left inner lateral teeth had a single inner denticle, whereas the right inner laterals lacked a denticle. In
H. perii
, both the left and the right inner laterals bear a single denticle. In
H. perii
, the middle laterals bear two or three outer denticles, whereas the middle laterals of
H. dollfusi
lack denticles. Only the outer four to ten teeth of
H. dollfusi
bear outer denticles, whereas all of the middle and outer lateral teeth of
H. perii
have denticles. There are minor differences in the reproductive system of the two species, but given that the reproductive system of
H. perii
was not fully mature, it is difficult to make detailed comparisons based on the present material.
The two species are geographically isolated, with
H. dollfusi
being restricted to the Arabian Sea and
H. perii
being known only from Bali and the
Philippines
. Unfortunately, no material suitable for molecular study is available for
H. dollfusi
. In the present molecular analysis,
H. perii
is sister to a large clade that includes members of the
H. obscura
,
H. capensis
(
Barnard, 1927
),
H. kaname
and
H. maritima
clades.
Gosliner & Behrens (2000)
, based on morphological similarities, speculated that
H. dollfusi
was likely to be most closely related to the clade that includes
H. paulinae
,
H. fucata
and
H. kaname
. They noted that these four species shared three apomorphies: an erect rather than spreading branchial plume, a short jaw element shaft; and a receptaculum seminis that inserts into the vagina at the base of the bursa copulatrix.
Hypselodoris perii
also shares these characteristics. Our molecular studies place
H. perii
in close proximity to the clade that includes
H. paulinae
and
H. kaname
. Additional molecular studies that include
H. fucata
and
H. dollfusi
need to be conducted to explore these possible relationships further.