Paraplanocera 1
photos 1 & 2: Scott Johnson, Puako, Hawai`i. Size: 30 mm.
photos 3: Pupukea, O`ahu. 40 ft. at night.
photos 4 & 5: Cory Pittman, Wailea Point, Maui, 20-54 ft.
photo 6: Ralph Turre, Maui. Ralph notes that the worm was being attacked and apparently eaten by a toby, Canthigaster jactator

ID is from the Newman & Cannon CD, which includes the top two photos. "Body almost circular with a crenulated margin, translucent, clear with white irregular spots and dots and red-brown regular dots. Cerebral eyes in distinct clusters. Conspicuous translucent head tentacles.... Common, yet undescribed." To this we would add that the cerebral eyes cluster at the bases of the tentacles and that mature specimens have a faint marginal band composed of of short, yellow, transverse lines.

The species is known from the Marshall Islands, the Red Sea, Papua New Guinea, and the Galapagos Islands.

The animal in photo 3 was preserved and sent to Leslie Newman in 1995. She replied that it is an acotylean, but could go no further with it at the time.

BACK to mottled or or speckled

Ralph Turre