| Author Title Journal |
Newman LJ, Cannon LRG, Brunckhorst DJ (1994) A new flatworm (Platyhelminthes: Polycladida) which mimics a phyllidiid nudibranch (Mollusca, Nudibranchia). Zool J Linnean Society 110: 19-25 |
Abstract / Notes
A new species of polyclad flatworm, Pseudoceros imitatus sp. nov. (Polycladida, Pseudocerotidae), is described from Papua New Guinea and recorded from the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. This polyclad resembles the phyllidiid nudibranch Phyllidiella pustulosa (Cuvier) (Nudibranchia, Phyllidiiae) in size and colour pattern. It is proposed that P. imitalus is a mimic of the aposematic nudibranch in order to avoid predation by reef fish. Mimicry between polyclad flatworms and opisthobranch molluscs is reviewed.
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