Samla riwo
Purple-ringed bluntnose
Philippines · Indo Pacific - South China Sea
- Size
- 15–25 mm
- Depth
- 3–10 m
- Native range
- Indo-West Pacific, from Madagascar and Réunion to Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan and Papua New Guinea.
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Description
A small flabellinid aeolid, originally described as Flabellina riwo and transferred to Samla in 2017. It is named after Riwo Village near Madang, Papua New Guinea, where it was first found.
Share link: https://seaslugs.org.il/species/samla-riwo-phillipines-indo-pacific-south-china-sea/
Identification
Translucent white body covered with a dense, lacy network of opaque white lines. Long oral tentacles with flattened, paddle-shaped tips; perfoliate rhinophores peach to light orange. Cerata in stalked clusters of 1–4, white-tipped with a broad purple ring near the middle or upper third, often with a yellow band.
Similar species
Samla bicolor has a fine white dusting rather than a lacy network, and only a yellow-orange ceratal band without purple. Samla bilas has blue diamond patches and crimson ceratal rings.
Habitat & diet
Habitat
Coral reefs and sandy-rubble slopes; recorded from about 3 to 10 m.
Food
Like other flabellinids, hydroids.