Halgerda sp from Zanzibar

November 11, 2005
From: Wilhelm van Zyl


Dear Bill,

I recently returned from a diving trip to Zanzibar. Zanzibar and especially Pemba island is a Nudibranch enthusiast's dream. On one particular dive I photographed 9 different species.

I am sending you 2 pictures of what I believe is Halgerda formosa. The first specimen block spots only on the mantle's edge. The second one has spots in almost every segment formed by the ridges.

Locality: Pemba Island, Zanzibar, Tanzania. Indian Ocean. Depth: 14 m. Length: 2 cm. 14 October 2005. patchy coral and sandy reef. Photographer: Wilhelm van Zyl

Regards
Wilhelm van Zyl

diving@cyberdale.co.za

Van Zyl, F.W., 2005 (Nov 11) Halgerda sp from Zanzibar. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/15243

Dear Wilhelm,
I am jealous of you being to Zanzibar. I lived there for some months in 1971 and returned a few times while living later in Dar es Salaam. I will always remember its beauty, the abundant nudibranchs, and the friendliness of the people. 

Your animals are very similar to one I had from Zanzibar (Rudman, 1978) and misidentified as Halgerda punctata. I have discussed its identity, and the identity of H. formosa in an earlier message [#11828]. Basically I think your animals are a pale colour form of Halgerda wasinensis. See message #11477 for some photos of intermediate colour forms.

Your photos are very useful as they help us to build up a picture of its distinctive colour characters. Three things which seem to be consistently present are that only the upper two-thirds of the rhinophore clubs are black, the tips of the rhinophores are white, and the gills are essentially white with black pigmentation restricted to the upper half of each gill.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2005 (Nov 11). Comment on Halgerda sp from Zanzibar by Wilhelm van Zyl. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/15243

Factsheet

Halgerda wasinensis

Related messages

  1. Halgerda wasinensis? from Sodwana Bay
    From: Colin Ogden, October 21, 2008
  2. Unknown Halgerda
    From: Valda Fraser, April 29, 2008
  3. Halgerda wasinensis ? from Mozambique
    From: David Abecasis, March 31, 2008
  4. Re: More Halgerda wasinensis pics from Mozambique.
    From: Natasja Vandeperre, August 10, 2007
  5. Are these Halgerda formosa?
    From: Pasquale Pascullo, March 4, 2006
  6. Colour variation in Halgerda wasinensis
    From: Colin Ogden, July 5, 2005
  7. Mating Halgerda wasinensis from Mozambique
    From: Riaan Marx, March 1, 2005
  8. More Halgerda wasinensis pics from Mozambique.
    From: Riaan Marx, March 1, 2005
  9. Re: Halgerda wasinensis? from East Timor
    From: Nick Hobgood, March 19, 2004
  10. Halgerda wasinensis? from East Timor
    From: Nick Hobgood, March 17, 2004
  11. Halgerda wasinensis from NE South Africa
    From: Charles Rowe, February 13, 2004
  12. Halgerda formosa identity
    From: Shireen Fahey, January 7, 2004
  13. Halgerda wasinensis from Kenya
    From: Gavin Bushell, January 7, 2004
  14. Halgerda wasinensis - colour variation
    From: Bill Rudman, January 7, 2004
  15. Halgerda formosa? from Mayotte
    From: Marina Poddubetskaia, November 26, 2003
  16. Halgerda wasinensis from South Africa
    From: Riaan Marx, April 14, 2003
  17. Halgerda formosa and H. punctata
    From: Danny Van Belle, January 28, 2003
  18. Halgerda toliara or H. formosa from Madagascar
    From: Lindsay Warren, September 18, 2002
  19. Halgerda wasinensis from Christmas Island
    From: W.B. Rudman, May 3, 2002
  20. Halgerda wasinensis from South Africa
    From: Valda Fraser, September 3, 2000
  21. Re: Nudibranch from Mozambique
    From: Vincent Tomeno, May 24, 2000
  22. Re: Jorunna? or Halgerda? from Mozambique
    From: Vincent Tomeno, May 20, 2000
  23. Jorunna? or Halgerda? from Mozambique
    From: Vincent Tomeno, May 19, 2000
  24. Jorunna from Mozambique
    From: Vincent Tomeno, May 18, 2000
  25. Halgerda formosa? from East Africa
    From: Bernard Picton , March 9, 2000
  26. Name Change of Halgerda punctata
    From: Ernest C.J. Seamark, November 18, 1999
  27. Halgerda punctata from South Africa
    From: Ernest C.J. Seamark, July 20, 1999

Show factsheet and all related messages