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New Records of Nudibranchs (Gastropoda: Heterobranchia) from the Coast of Pakistan (Northern Arabian Sea)

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New Records of Nudibranchs (Gastropoda: Heterobranchia) from the Coast of Pakistan (Northern Arabian Sea) ISSN 0738-9388 114 Volume: 51 THE FESTIVUS ISSUE 2 New records of nudibranchs (Gastropoda: Heterobranchia) from the coast of Pakistan (Northern Arabian Sea) Shahnawaz Gul Jamia Millia Government Degree College, Malir, Karachi, Pakistan [email protected] ABSTRACT This study reports fifteen species of nudibranchs from the coast of Pakistan (Northern Arabian Sea) except Jorunna funebris reported here, all are new records. KEY WORDS Heterobranchia, Cladobranchia, Doridina, Karachi, new records INTRODUCTION contribution made by Eliot (1905), who provided some notes on nudibranchs of Karachi Nudibranchs or sea slugs are colorful, shell-less, coast. marine heterobranch gastropods in the order Nudibranchia comprising more than 2000 The present work is based upon opportunistic species worldwide (Gosliner et al., 2008). Due data on underwater photography of marine life to loss of adult shell, they have evolved various recorded voluntarily by the Pakistani anti-predator strategies, like chemical defense, recreational SCUBA divers during use of nematocysts obtained from cnidarian diving/snorkeling excursions along Charna prey, warning or aposematic coloration, Island (24m 53 56.422 N, 66 36 15.297 E) camouflage and mimicry (Gosliner, 2001; located off the Mubarak village, Karachi, and Wägele & Klussmann-Kolb, 2005; Greenwood, presently the most popular place for such 2009; Aguado & Marin, 2007; Haber et al., activities. These SCUBA diving organizations 2010; Putz et al., 2010). Because of the post the photographs on their websites. presence of biochemically active compounds, Nudibranchs were photographed mostly, from dietary or biosynthetic, nudibranchs have gained 2015 to 2018 at average depth of 10 meter along increasing interest in natural products research Charna Island. Species recorded were identified (Avila, 1995; Dean & Prinsep, 2017). by the author using W.B. Rudman’s Sea Slug Forum (seaslugforum.net/), Pola et al. (2005), Little is known about the nudibranch fauna of Camacho-García & Gosliner (2008) and Yonow Pakistan (Northern Arabian Sea). The current (1988, 1989, 1996, 2001a and b, 2012, 2018). knowledge on the subject comes from a checklist of opisthobranchs of Karachi which A total of fifteen species were identified and documents twenty-two species (Kazmi et al., reported here of which except Jorunna funebris 1996) and a report on new record of are all new records. Each species is presented Dendrodoris krusensternii published later on here with salient diagnostic features, its general (Khanam & Kazmi, 2016). The information geographic distribution and recent records of compiled in these papers, however, mentions occurrence in the Arabian Sea, where available almost nothing about the earlier studies on in literature. In addition, brief remarks have nudibranchs in Pakistan, except for a single been given on each of the species to point out ISSN 0738-9388 115 Volume: 51 THE FESTIVUS ISSUE 2 any morphological peculiarity in relation to Remarks. Yonow (2012) pointed out variations identification and comparison with congener. in morphology of this species including lack of The classification of nudibranchs used herein is violet margin on both mantle and foot. adapted from Bouchet et al. (2017) whereas, taxonomic authorities of order Nudibranchia Distribution. Western Indian Ocean. Arabian and its suborders appear unsettled in the current Sea: Kerala, India (Chandran et al., 2017) and literature and is thus not mentioned. This study Pakistan. represents an entirely a citizen science initiative. Goniobranchus decorus (Pease, 1860) SPECIES ACCOUNTS (Figure 1C) Order Nudibranchia Description. Body translucent grey-white Suborder Doridina bearing orange border with single row of Family Chromodorididae Bergh, 1891 irregular shape purple spots on inner side and a thin opaque white line running longitudinally Goniobranchus annulatus (Eliot, 1904) parallel to mantle margin encircling rhinophores (Figure 1A) and gills. Dorsum has similar white line medially which bifurcates in Y-shape around Description. Body white with bright yellow gills and without any spots. raised spots on mantle. Two dark purple-black rings, each around rhinophores and gills; rings Remarks. Above morphology with median line completely separated. Rhinophores, gills and unspotted indicates Goniobranchus setoensis mantle margin also tinged with purple-black. (Baba, 1938), however, Yonow (2012, plate 41, 42) identified her specimens with similar Remarks. The rings, however, may be joined character as G. decorus which supports by a median line. Occurrence of both these Rudman’s (2007a) view that the mentioned forms has recently been reported from Arabian species is a variant of G. decorus, is adapted Gulf (see Nithyanandan, 2012). here. Distribution. Red Sea and Western Indian Distribution. Indo-west Pacific. Arabian Sea: Ocean. Arabian Sea: Oman (Yonow, 2012), Oman (Yonow, 2012), Lakshadweep (Apte, Kerala, India (Chandran et al., 2017) and 2009, as Chromodoris cf. setoensis) and Pakistan. Pakistan. Goniobranchus cavae (Eliot, 1904) Goniobranchus tumuliferus (Collingwood, 1881) (Figure 1B) (Figures 1D, E) Description. Body white with scattered small, Description. Body white bearing brown-red round black spots and numerous yellow spots of spots, no or variably tint with blue, and bright different sizes; black spots surrounded by white yellow submarginal border on mantle and foot. lines. Border of mantle white/free of spots and Mantle below border having blue spots or edged with faint violet shade. Gills and mixed with red ones and interrupting border. rhinophores tinged violet. Rhinophores and gills tinged with yellow (Rudman, 1999a). ISSN 0738-9388 116 Volume: 51 THE FESTIVUS ISSUE 2 Remarks. Goniobranchus kitae described from Hypselodoris ghardaqana the Northern Madagascar (Gosliner, 1994) (Gohar & Aboul-Ela, 1957) shows close resemblance to the given species (Figure 1H) and differs mainly in having tiny opaque white spots on the rhinophores and gills (Rudman, Description. Body opaque white bearing bright 2002a, 2002b). yellow spots of different sizes on dorsal surface of mantle and foot. Mantle margin and posterior Distribution. Central Indo-Pacific (Mehrotra & edge of foot deep blue. Rhinophore clubs Scott, 2015; Sachidhanandam, 2000). For maroon. Gills white with maroon edges (see further records, see Rudman’s Sea Slug Forum. Rudman, 2007b). This is possibly, first record of G. tumuliferus from the Western Indian Ocean. Distribution. Red Sea and Indian Ocean. Arabian Sea: Oman (Rudman, 2000) and Glossodoris pallida (Rüppell & Leuckart, 1830) Pakistan. (Figure. 1F) Hypselodoris infucata Description. Body white with opaque white (Rüppell & Leuckart, 1830) raised markings in the mid dorsal line. Two (Figure 2A) marks prominent; one like large spot behind rhinophores and other, inverted V-shaped mark. Description. Body grey-white bearing small, Mantle margin folded, edged with faint yellow. round spots of yellow and blue-black colour, Rhinophores and gills white; tips tinged with and one row of blue-black patches on either side yellow. of dorsum. Mantle margin bordered with yellow and blue-black spots. Rhinophore clubs and gill Distribution. Red Sea and Indo-west Pacific. edges light orange. Arabian Sea: Oman (Yonow, 2012) and Pakistan. Remarks. The individual showing resemblance with Hypselodoris sagamiensis (Baba, 1949) Glossodoris rufomarginata (Bergh, 1890) but this species has pustules on dorsum and (Figure 1G) yellow spots only on the mantle margin. One record with similar morphology has been Description. Mantle bearing tan-brown colored mentioned at sea slug forum (see Deomurari, speckled pattern on dorsum, submarginal white 2007). border and brown margin. Rhinophores and gills brown with white edges. Distribution. Mediterranean, Red Sea and Tropical Indo-Pacific. Arabian Sea: Distribution. Red Sea and Indo-west Pacific. Lakshadweep, India (Apte, 2009) and Pakistan. Arabian Sea: Kerala, India (Chandran et al., 2017) and Pakistan. ISSN 0738-9388 117 Volume: 51 THE FESTIVUS ISSUE 2 Family Discodorididae Bergh, 1891 transverse rays giving blue-grey scalloped pattern on sides having tubercles. Rhinophores Jorunna funebris (Kelaart, 1859) orange-yellow. (Figure 2B) Distribution. Indo-west Pacific (Rudman, Description. Body covered with tiny tubercles, 2006a; Yonow, 1996, 2012). Arabian Sea: caryophyllidia, giving velvety appearance to Pakistan. Yonow (2012) documented the mantle. Background color white bearing jet species from Socotra which is perhaps the only black, partially pigmented, rings of different record from the Western Indian Ocean, so far. sizes; larger rings in the middle of dorsum. Rhinophore clubs jet black. Gills white with jet Phyllidia rueppelii (Bergh, 1869) black rachis. Border of mantle with spots and (Figure 2E, F) smaller rings of black color. Description. Mantle having three less organized Distribution. Red Sea and Tropical Indo-west rows of orange-yellow capped tubercles on mid Pacific. Arabian Sea: Lakshadweep, India (Apte, dorsum; one medial and two outer rows, and 2009) and Pakistan. yellow margin. Ground color blue-grey with black on dorsum; black rays on sides forming Family Phyllidiidae Rafinesque, 1814 blue-grey scalloped pattern provided with tubercles. Phyllidia ocellata Cuvier, 1804 (Figure 2C) Remarks. In P. rueppelii, dorsal tubercles among three rows sometimes appear cross Description. Mantle bearing yellow tubercles of connected by blue-grey ground color (see different sizes; larger, mostly in mid-dorsum Nithyanandan,
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