First record of Okenia pellucida from Japan

October 6, 1999
From: Tomohiko Kurihara

Dear Bill.

My name is Tomohiko Kurihara. Expert diver in Japan. I've recently found this great nudibranch. Have you ever seen it? The locality is OSE, a famous diving spot in Japan. This nudibranch was waving with seaweed. This is the first time I have seen it and I've been scuba-diving 15 years. I was excited! I think it is a kind of Polycera. But please let me I know what correct name is.

I introduce some nudibranchs on my homepage at http://www.ne.jp/asahi/kappa-kuri/miyamoto/OSEHOO/umiushi.html.

Best regards.
Tomohiko Kurihara

kappa-kuri@tokai.or.jp

Kurihara, T., 1999 (Oct 6) First record of Okenia pellucida from Japan. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/1399

Dear Tomohiko,
This is a very interesting find. It is the nudibranch Okenia pellucida which was previously only known from Australia and northern New Zealand. It feeds exclusively on the plant-like bryozoan Zoobotryon. Since Zoobotryon is a fouling species, growing on the bottom of boats and found worldwide, it is possible that this species has been distributed around the world the same way. It has been suggested by Willan & Coleman, 1984 that Okenia zoobotryon (Smallwood, 1910), from Bermuda, which is also found on Zoobotryon, might be the same species, but it seems to have a colour pattern of spots, rather than lines.

I think the seaweed you found your animal on was in fact this bryozoan Zoobotryon.
Have a look at Okenia mija for another photo of a species of Okenia living on Zoobotryon. By coincidence the Forum has just had a message about Polycera hedgpethi, another nudibranch which also lives and feeds on fouling bryozoans, and also has a wide distribution.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman.

Rudman, W.B., 1999 (Oct 6). Comment on First record of Okenia pellucida from Japan by Tomohiko Kurihara. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/1399

Factsheet

Okenia pellucida

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