New species of the genus Pseudoceros from Indian Ocean

Pseudoceros galaxea

Phylum: Platyhelminthes

Subphylum: Rhabditophora Ehlers. 1985

Order: Polyclaldida Lang, 1884

Family: Pseudocerotidae Lang, 1884

Pseudoceros galaxea Dixit, 2021

Collection: Agatti Island (near CMLRE field research station), 10°50′38′′N 72°11′17′′E, Lakshadweep, India. 07.5.2019.

Voucher No.: IO/IT/POY/00029 – Holotype; IO/IT/POY/00030 – Paratype

Description: Background body colour chocolate brown with numerous small white to cream dots on the entire dorsal surface. These minute dots are very densely distributed giving a spray-like appearance. Some white dots are too close forming clusters appearing like bigger dots. A black marginal band studded with white microdots runs around the whole body including pseudotentacles.

Biological association: None.

Remarks: None.

Distribution: Lakshadweep Islands, India.

Distribution map: 

Lakshadweep Islands (black rectangle) near the west coast of southern India (top) and magnified image of Agatti Island (below) with collection sites of new species – Pseudoceros galaxea sp. nov. (red dot). Source: Google Earth.

Identified by: Sudhanshu Dixit

Publication: Dixit, S., Manjebrayakat, H. & Saravanane, N. 2021. Two new Pseudoceros (Platyhelminthes: Polycladida: Pseudocerotidae) from Agatti Island, India and a species checklist from Indian waters. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 101: 253–263. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0025315421000151

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