Facelina bostoniensis
(Couthouy, 1838)

Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: AEOLIDINA
Family: Glaucidae

DISTRIBUTION

Throughout western Europe from Norway to the western Mediterranean. Also northeast coast of North America.

PHOTO

UPPER: Millport, Ballachmartin Bay, Isle of Cumbrae, Scotland, May 1993
LOWER: As above, May 1992 PHOTOS: Daniel Geiger.

Facelina bostoniensis grows to about 55mm. In British waters it is reported to feed almost exclusively on species of the hydroid genus Tubularia. Brown (1981) showed that this common European species also occurs on the northeast coast of North America where it was named Facelina bostoniensis, from specimens Couthouy found in Massachusetts about 5 years before Alder & Hancock (1843) described it from England as Eolis curta. It is not often that animals found on both sides of the Atlantic have a name with an American connection. Usually, species common to both coasts were named by European workers long before they were studied in North America.

Reference:
• Thompson, T.E. & Brown, G.H. (1984) Biology of Opisthobranch Molluscs, Vol 2. Ray Society: London.

See Betsey Hansen's photos of North American specimens below.
See Jussi Evertsen's message reporting it feeding on the sea pen Virgularia mirabilis

Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 1999 (August 7) Facelina bostoniensis (Couthouy, 1838). [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet.cfm?base=facebost

Related messages

  1. Facelina bostoniensis from Istanbul
    From: Goker Goksel, July 11, 2007
  2. Facelina bostoniensis mating
    From: Christian Skauge, June 27, 2007
  3. Facelina bostoniensis - feeding information
    From: Vincent Maran, July 8, 2006
  4. Facelina bostoniensis or Coryphella sp.?
    From: Rebecca Asch, March 4, 2004
  5. Re: Flabellina browni? from Scotland
    From: Dan Edwards, November 24, 2003
  6. Re: Flabellina browni? from Scotland
    From: Jussi Evertsen, November 21, 2003
  7. Re: Flabellina browni? from Scotland
    From: Dan Edwards, November 21, 2003
  8. Flabellina browni? from Scotland
    From: Dan Edwards, November 20, 2003
  9. Facelina bostoniensis from Scotland
    From: Jim Anderson, November 7, 2002
  10. Re: Facelina coronata or F. bostoniensis ?
    From: Bernard Picton, July 20, 2001
  11. Re: Facelina coronata or F. bostoniensis ?
    From: Juan Lucas Cervera, July 20, 2001
  12. Re: Facelina coronata or F. bostoniensis ?
    From: Juan Lucas Cervera, July 19, 2001
  13. Re: Facelina coronata or F. bostoniensis ?
    From: Miquel Pontes, July 19, 2001
  14. Facelina coronata or F. bostoniensis ?
    From: Miquel Pontes, July 18, 2001
  15. Facelina bostoniensis from the Netherlands
    From: Peter H. van Bragt, September 7, 1999
  16. Re: Facelina bostoniensis
    From: Terry Gosliner, August 30, 1999
  17. NY Flab. salmonacea is Facelina bostoniensis
    From: Terry Gosliner, August 29, 1999
  18. Flabellina salmonacea? from New York
    From: Betsey Hansen, August 27, 1999

Show factsheet and all related messages

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