An updated inventory of sea slugs from Koh Tao, Thailand, with notes on their ecology and a dramatic biodiversity increase for Thai waters
Author
Mehrotra, Rahul
Reef Biology Research Group. Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand & Aow Thai Marine Ecology Center, Koh Mun Nai, Kram, Klaeng District, Rayong 21110, Thailand
Author
A. Caballer Gutierrez, Manuel
American University of Paris, Department of Computer Science Math and Environmental Science, 6 rue du Colonel Combes, 75007 Paris, France & Museum national d'Histoire naturelle, 55 rue de Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
Author
M. Scott, Chad
Conservation Diver. 7321 Timber Trail Road, Evergreen, Colorado, 80439, USA
Author
Arnold, Spencer
Conservation Diver. 7321 Timber Trail Road, Evergreen, Colorado, 80439, USA
Author
Monchanin, Coline
Aow Thai Marine Ecology Center, Koh Mun Nai, Kram, Klaeng District, Rayong 21110, Thailand & Research Center on Animal Cognition (CRCA), Center for Integrative Biology (CBI); CNRS, University Paul Sabatier, Toulouse III, France
Author
Viyakarn, Voranop
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2089-6356
Reef Biology Research Group. Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Author
Chavanich, Suchana
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6266-7300
Reef Biology Research Group. Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand & Center of Excellence for Marine Biotechnology, Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
suchana.c@chula.ac.th
text
ZooKeys
2021
2021-06-09
1042
73
188
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1042.64474
journal article
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1042.64474
1313-2970-1042-73
9CF986D86A474E179A67245C78FB8AFD
1BB0A10A35DD5541850FDAFFDB7119C2
Phidiana militaris (Alder & Hancock, 1864)
Figure 18F
Material examined.
Two specimens
30-35 mm
, SO; two specimens
30-40 mm
, HF.
Ecology.
Occasionally found among rubble and corals in reef habitats. Most abundant at some artificial reef sites at the island, which were initially constructed from steel rebar or concrete to support coral restoration efforts. It is likely that these substrates, while promoting scleractinian conservation, also support different potential prey items than might be found in coral reef or soft sediment habitats. Depth 8-25 m.
Distribution.
Across the Indo-Pacific including the Gulf of Oman (
Fatemi and Attaran 2015
), Red Sea (
Yonow 2008
), Malaysia (
Ho 1989
), United Arab Emirates, India, Singapore, and the Philippines (
Gosliner et al. 2008
). Known to have been introduced into the Mediterranean from the Red Sea (
Rothman et al. 2017
). Known from Andaman and Gulf waters of Thailand (
Gosliner et al. 2008
;
Mehrotra and Scott 2016
).