This attractive little eolid was down at about 33m at a site called Bubbles. In size and appearance, these specimens resemble Phyllodesmium poindimiei, differing only in the presence of whte spots on the body, cerata and anterior tentacles, which were not present on the original figure by Risbec (1928). However, Rudman (1991) does refer to the "presence of small irregular white patches on the body and cerata of many specimens of P. poindimiei." He does not mention how extensive the white spotting can be, but our specimens below seem to show a range from few to dense white spots, and this leaves the question of the exact ID open.
Other specimens were seen at Ladder, Red Rock and Kitchen Rock.
Just a few white spots on the body, making this more similar to a typical P. poindimiei.
With eggs.
Created 10 August 2016
Updated 24 August 2020