Tubulophilinopsis, Zamora-Silva & Malaquias, 2018

Zamora-Silva, Andrea & Malaquias, Manuel António E., 2018, Molecular phylogeny of the Aglajidae head-shield sea slugs (Heterobranchia: Cephalaspidea): new evolutionary lineages revealed and proposal of a new classification, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 183, pp. 1-51 : 40

GENUS TUBULOPHILINOPSIS GEN. NOV.

( FIGS 3O, 4A–D, 5B, E, I; TABLES 1 AND 2)

Type species: Philinopsis pilsbryi Eliot, 1900 . By subsequent designation.

Diagnosis: Living animals up to 30 mm in length. Body elongated, oval, reduced sensory bristles, not visible to the naked eye; cephalic shield well differentiated from the body, with frontal elevation, crest-like (autapomorphy); eyes frontal, conspicuous, inserted in small circular unpigmented periocular areas (autapomorphy); posterior shield with symmetrical, rounded, short caudal lobes ( Figs 3O, 4). Shell variable, convex-dilated with open whorl ( Fig. 5B), convex-concealed ( Fig. 5E) or spoon-shaped with prolonged and semi-wide open whorl ( Fig. 5I). Buccal bulb tubular, long, muscular (autapomorphy). Penial papilla conical; prostate formed by a long narrow duct, not coiled (autapomorphy) ( Rudman, 1972a; Gosliner, 1980).

Type locality: Rotuma Island , Fiji .

Etymology: The genus name (Lat. tubule = tube) refers to the tubular buccal bulb present in all species included in this new genus.