Coryphellina marcusorum, (Spanish common name: Eolidáceo de Marcus)[1] is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Flabellinidae.[2]
This species was described from Isla San Diego, Baja California, Mexico. Coryphellina marcusorum is thought to occur in two disjunct populations in the waters of central and south America: one group on the west coast of central America in the eastern Pacific Ocean and as far east as the Galapagos Islands[1] and the other on the east side of the continent in the Caribbean Sea and in the western Atlantic Ocean down to Brazil.
Coryphellina marcusorum has a mainly translucent pink or orange body colour. The elongate rhinophores, foot corners and cerata are tipped with opaque white (or sometimes opaque yellow), with a broad, purple band beneath. The posterior face of the rhinophores may have up to one hundred papillae.[3] The oral tentacles are elongate and thin, and are longer than the rhinophores.[4]
The maximum recorded body length is 25 mm[5] or up to 30 mm.[4]
This species is very similar in colouration to the recently described African species Coryphellina arveloi.[3] A comparison with other Flabellinidae species from Mexico is given in the description of Orienthella fogata.[4]
| Species | Rhinophores | Ground colour | Colour of cerata | Living size (mm) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coryphellina marcusorum | Red, papillate posteriorly | Bright pink | Pink, purple and yellow | < 20 | |
| Samla telja | Yellow or brown, perfoliate | Light pink, white spots | Brownish pink | < 24 | |
| Edmundsella vansyoci | Pink, verrucose | Rose pink | Rose pink, white spots | < 15 | |
| Flabellina bertschi | White, smooth | White | Reddish pink, white tips | < 8 | |
| Orienthella fogata | Translucent orange, annulate | Translucent orange | Red with white spots | < 15 | |
| Kynaria cynara | White with purple tips, perfoliate | Pink with purple markings | Salmon & purple, white spots | < 12 |
Minimum recorded depth is 3 m.[5] Maximum recorded depth is 22 m.[5]