Hermaea bifida? from Korea

December 1, 2003
From: Dong Bum Koh

Dear Bill,
Is this a nudibranch? I am having difficulty identifying this animal. It seems to belong to the Sacoglossa and it looks like Hermaea bifida.

They are very fragile & have a slender body.
After they are touched, their body shrinks considerably. I look forward to your comments.

22. Nov. 2003 15m depth
Moon islet in Jeju island, South Korea.

Best regards,
Dong Bum Koh

drkoh@seasee.co.kr

Koh, D.B., 2003 (Dec 1) Hermaea bifida? from Korea. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/11522

Dear Domg Bum,
When I first saw your photos I didn't realise the radiating arms were enclosed in a transparent ceratal sac. It certainly seems to be an amazing sacoglossan, and as you suggest, it is probably the same as the animal I have on the Forum from Japan as Hermaea cf. bifida. One puzzle is the apparently long rhinophores which appear to taper to a tip, which is a bit different from the rhinophores in the photo from Japan. However it is possible that the difference reflects the contracted state of the Japanese specimen.

Your animal shows an amazing similarity to a brown sea weed. I doubt if it is Hermaea bifida, but it seems to be something similar.
Best wishes
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2003 (Dec 1). Comment on Hermaea bifida? from Korea by Dong Bum Koh. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/11522

Factsheet

Hermaea cf. bifida

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