Tritoniopsis elegans from Red Sea

August 11, 2004
From: Oren Lederman

Hi Bill,
I know you have been busy in the last few months, but never the less, you might find this interesting. I hope you'll have the time to read this.

A few months ago I found a orange-red nudibranch. At first I wasn't even sure it was a nudibranch, but after zooming in with my camera i was sure. It looks like a type of a Tritoniopsis, similar to the Tritoniopsis frydis on your site (thanks for Matan Ninio for finding it on your site). Since then, I re-visited this nudibranch and it seams like it stays on the same spot (the same soft coral) all the time. Last time I saw it I actually found 3 nudibranchs of this kind. I hope you can identify it.

Location - Red Sea, Eilat. Night dive. Depth - 5.5 Meters. Size - about 4cm long. One of them was smaller.

On this photo you can see two of the nudibranchs.
Take care,
Oren Lederman

lederman@bigmail.co.il

Lederman, O., 2004 (Aug 11) Tritoniopsis elegans from Red Sea. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/12743

Thanks Oren,
I always read messages - and I am always interested - what is frustating is the lack of time to answer them. Your animal is indeed a species of Tritoniopsis. It is Tritoniopsis elegans which ranges in colour from orange to white. It was originally described from the Egyptian Red Sea about 180 years ago. It seems to feed on the soft coral Lobophyton and is often found nestled on the trunk of a colony or around the edge of more flattened colonies. If you regularly dive the same area it might be interesting to make regular observations on the colony and the slugs. We know nothing about their life history so don't know if they live for only a year, whether they kill the soft coral colony etc etc.

So any observations would be of value
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2004 (Aug 11). Comment on Tritoniopsis elegans from Red Sea by Oren Lederman. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/12743

Factsheet

Tritoniopsis elegans

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