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Additional Photos
underside
head & feeding
cerata detail
pale
regenerating
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Tenellia sp. #2
Maximum size: 7-8 mm.
Identification:
The
colors
of this species appear to have been painted on with a
tiny brush. The head and "neck" are light blue with a yellow "v" that
meets behind the rhinophores. The cerata are mostly white with a dot of
bright red and a smudge of yellow on their anterior faces. They are
tipped with blue. The rhinophores are white with a bright red medial
band. Rarely, the band may be missing (due to regeneration?). (Note 1)
Natural history:
Tenellia sp. #2 is
a moderately rare species that has been found in moderately exposed to exposed rocky locations at
depths of 3-12
m (10-40 ft). It appears to be diurnally active.
Distribution:
Big Island and Maui: widely distributed in the Indo-Pacific.
Taxonomic notes:
It was first
recorded
in Hawaii off Makena, Maui by PF on Oct. 1,
1990 and was formerly placed in the genus Cuthona.
Photo: PF: 6
mm: off Makena, Maui; April 3, 2010.
Observations and comments:
Note
1: We've seen pictures of animals
from elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific that had regenerating rhinophores
that lacked the red band. The irregular profile of the rhinophores in this animal suggests that regeneration might explain its lack of banding.
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