Samla bilas
Red-ringed bluntnose
Philippines · Indo Pacific - South China Sea
- Size
- 15–23 mm
- Native range
- Indo-West Pacific, from the Red Sea and Madagascar to Papua New Guinea (type locality Madang) and the Marshall Islands.
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Description
A small, vividly coloured flabellinid aeolid, originally described as Flabellina bilas and moved to Samla in 2017. Its name is New Guinea Pidgin for 'decoration', after its crimson and blue markings.
Share link: https://seaslugs.org.il/species/samla-bilas-phillipines-indo-pacific-south-china-sea/
Identification
Slender translucent white body with sky-blue diamond-shaped patches along the midline of the back and white patches along the sides. Long oral tentacles with paddle-like tips; perfoliate rhinophores with cream bands and a sharp blood-red ring near the tip. Cerata on stalks, with cream areas and a broad crimson ring below the tip.
Similar species
Samla riwo has a lacy white network over the body and purple ceratal rings, without blue patches; Samla bicolor has a uniform white dusting and orange-yellow ceratal bands.
Habitat & diet
Habitat
Coral reefs; type specimen from 20 m.
Food
Like other flabellinids, hydroids.