Phyllidia elegans

Images taken at Lembeh, Indonesia

The basic colours of Phyllidia elegans are black, pink and yellow. The background of the dorsum is black and the notal tubercles arc pink and often capped in yellow. However some specimens may have only one or a few yellow-capped tubercles. The pink base of each rhinotubercle spreads out around its respective rhinophoral opening. Thc notal tubercles often appear to line up, medially and if coalesced may form irregular broken ridges (however these seem to be quite variable). In larger animals tubercles tend to remain isolated but their bases may merge. The more densely packed, smaller tubercles around the mantle edge have black rays running between them to the edge of the mantle. The rhinophores are yellow and possess 18-22 lamellae on their clavus (in specimens greater than 40 mm). Ventrally, the hyponotum is pale grey and cross hatched, and the oral tentacles are pale, finger like with rounded yellow tips. The root is usually cream to pale grey in colour and it possesses a black line on the lateral side of the foot, just below the grey gills. The sole has a median longitudinal, black stripe.