Aldisa from Sth Africa

May 18, 2005
From: Colin Ogden

Hi,
I can't identify this nudi. Please can someone help.

Locality: Sodwana Bay, South Africa, Indian Ocean. Depth: 18 metres. Length: 3 cms. April 2005. Coral reef. Photographer: Colin Ogden

Regards
Colin Ogden

 

scubaco@iafrica.com

Ogden, C., 2005 (May 18) Aldisa from Sth Africa. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/13787

Dear Colin,
This is a species of Aldisa. Quite a number of species have a pair of crater like depressions on their back, like in your animal, which presumably are mean't to mimic the oscules or exhalent siphons in the sponges they feed on. We already have a couple of examples of this species from South Africa on the Forum, which I am calling Aldisa sp. 4. The only species I know of with a network of ridges over the mantle, as in your animal, is Aldisa pikokai which is known at present only from Hawaii and the Marshall Ids in the central Pacific. It is possible the Sth African animal is that species but we would need to check its anatomy and hopefully find some records in other parts of the Indo-West Pacific.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2005 (May 18). Comment on Aldisa from Sth Africa by Colin Ogden. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/13787

Factsheet

Aldisa sp. 4

Related messages

  1. Re: Aldisa sp. 4 from Madagascar
    From: Les Clear, November 27, 2009
  2. Aldisa sp. 4 from Madagascar
    From: Les Clear, November 27, 2009
  3. Aldisa sp from Reunion island
    From: Philibert Bidgrain, April 12, 2006
  4. Aldisa? from South Africa
    From: Valda Fraser, March 26, 2002
  5. Aldisa from South Africa
    From: Valda Fraser, January 5, 2002

Show factsheet and all related messages