Ercolania sp.? from Hachijo Is, Japan

March 24, 2005
From: Kazuhiro Hiroe


Dear Dr. Rudman,

This animal could be found on the green alga Boodlea coacta. I feel it maybe belong to Ercolania, but I'm not sure. Please give me your opinion on this species.

Locality:  Yaene, Hachijo Island, Tokyo, Japan. Depth: 5 m. Length: 4 mm. 20 March 2005. Photographer: Kazuhiro Hiroe.

Best Regards,
Kazuhiro Hiroe

aquablue@cello.ocn.ne.jp

Hiroe, K., 2005 (Mar 24) Ercolania sp.? from Hachijo Is, Japan. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/13411

Dear Kazu,
I suspect this is a juvenile Stiliger smaragdinus, but it's difficult to be sure. Certainly the narrow foot extending behind the last cerata is typical of juveniles of this species, as are the rounded cerata and the white-tipped rhinophores. Your photo shows the cerata to be quite white at the tips, which is unusual for this species but I suspect they are a concentration of the glands which produce a whitish secretion in this species.

I may be quite wrong but I suspect it was just crawling over the green alga Boodlea, rather than feeding on it. 
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2005 (Mar 24). Comment on Ercolania sp.? from Hachijo Is, Japan by Kazuhiro Hiroe. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/13411

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Ercolania coerulea

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