Shell-less gastropod from Gulf of St Lawrence, Canada

July 21, 2007
From: Patrice Goudreau

Hello,

These are photos of a specimen of soft-shell gastropod that was fished in a scallop dredge during a scientific survey. The survey was conducted in the Mingan Archipelago in the Gulf of St Lawrence in eastern Canada. If someone could give some information about this specimen I would appreciate it. The substrate was composed of sand, shell and gravel and the water temperature was about 2 degrees Celcius. There was scallops (Chlamys islandica), seastars, urchins, Gersemia rubiformis (soft coral) fixed in shells and a few other species. The specimen was put back in the water

Locality: Havre-St-Pierre, 45 metres, Quebec, Canada, Gulf of St-Lawrence, June 6th 2007, Sand and shell with about 20% of gravel. Length: about 150 mm. Photographer: Patrice Goudreau.

Thank you for your attention

Patrice Goudreau
Aquatic science technician
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Maurice Lamontagne Institute
Mont-Joli, Quebec, Canada

GoudreauP@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Goudreau, P., 2007 (Jul 21) Shell-less gastropod from Gulf of St Lawrence, Canada. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/20216

Dear Patrice,

This is a gastropod snail rather than a gastropod sea slug, and belongs to the family Velutinidae (which now includes the well known family Lamellariidae). They do have a shell, but it is usually hidden beneath the skin of the mantle. In the close-up alongside you can see the eye at the base of the head tentacles which is a coenogastropod character, and the funnel-like siphon which draws water back over the gills which are hidden in the shell-covered mantle cavity situated behind the head.

I can't give you a species name but it's possibly a species of Lamellaria. A good shell book covering your region should help. Unfortunately one problem with identifying velutinids is that the books often have drawings and descriptions only of the shells which is a problem if you only have pictures of the animal.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2007 (Jul 21). Comment on Shell-less gastropod from Gulf of St Lawrence, Canada by Patrice Goudreau. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/20216

Related messages

  1. Colpodaspis sp ??
    From: Jean Michel Crouzet, April 19, 2010
  2. Lamellaria from Tunisia
    From: Jamila Ben Souissi, January 18, 2010
  3. Unknown seaslug from Whangaparaoa, New Zealand
    From: Graham Bould, August 20, 2009
  4. Re: Photo of a living 'Berthella' sideralis
    From: Jussi Evertsen, January 15, 2007
  5. Re: Photo of a living 'Berthella' sideralis
    From: Jussi Evertsen, January 8, 2007
  6. Re: Photo of a living 'Berthella' sideralis
    From: Jeff Goddard, January 5, 2007
  7. Photo of a living 'Berthella' sideralis
    From: Erling Svensen, January 5, 2007
  8. Re: Lamellaria from Turkey
    From: Mehmet Baki Yokes, December 15, 2006
  9. Lamellaria from Turkey
    From: Haluk Akbatur, December 13, 2006
  10. Unknown dorid? from the Red Sea
    From: Neil Horlock, June 16, 2006
  11. Velutinid snail from Japan
    From: Yasuhiro Shamoto, April 6, 2006
  12. Berthella? from Croatia
    From: Mat Vestjens, February 28, 2006
  13. Re: Nudibranch ? from Spain
    From: Juan Lucas Cervera, January 20, 2006
  14. Nudibranch ? from Spain
    From: Marga Iglesias, January 19, 2006
  15. Re: Mysterious sea slug? from Cornwall
    From: Bernard Picton, November 15, 2005
  16. Mysterious sea slug? from Cornwall
    From: Judith Oakley, November 1, 2005
  17. Re: Unidentified Arctic 'Nudibranch'
    From: Philip Sargent, September 15, 2005
  18. Re: Velutinidae in the Arctic
    From: Constantine Mifsud, July 5, 2005
  19. Unidentified Arctic 'Nudibranch'
    From: Tim Siferd, July 1, 2005
  20. Re: Corambe? or velutinid from California
    From: Jeff Goddard, May 19, 2005
  21. Marsenina stearnsii from Oregon
    From: Jeff Goddard, May 19, 2005
  22. Lamellaria diegoensis from Oregon, USA
    From: Jeff Goddard, May 19, 2005
  23. Corambe? or velutinid from California
    From: Douglas Hansen, May 16, 2005
  24. Velutinid from Lord Howe Island
    From: Ian Hutton, February 26, 2004
  25. Berthella? fromNew South Wales
    From: Rachel Przeslawski, September 18, 2003
  26. Sea slug mystery
    From: Steve Zanieri, March 18, 2003
  27. Velutinid from Lord Howe Island
    From: Ian Hutton, December 11, 2002
  28. Is this a velutinid ?
    From: Marina Poddubetskaia, October 28, 2002
  29. Unidentified velutinids from Turkey
    From: Baki Yokes, October 8, 2002
  30. Chelynotus semperi from Solomon Ids
    From: Bruce Potter, September 19, 2002
  31. Velutina? from Alaska
    From: James H. McLean , September 7, 2002
  32. Snail? Slug? from Alaska
    From: Clinton Bauder, August 7, 2002
  33. Re: Opisthobranch? from Mediterranean
    From: Juan Lucas Cervera, July 23, 2002
  34. Opisthobranch? from Mediterranean
    From: Jean-Pierre Bielecki, July 22, 2002
  35. Opisthobranch with a shell
    From: Elianny Dominguez , September 19, 2001
  36. Coriocella spp from the Maldives.
    From: Jim Anderson, May 8, 2001
  37. Mystery from the Maldives
    From: Nishina Masayoshi, January 16, 2001
  38. Velutinid from Port Stephens
    From: Ron Greer, May 28, 2000
  39. Velutinid from southern New South Wales
    From: Akos Lumnitzer, January 27, 2000
  40. Re: Coriocella nigra from Japan
    From: H.Ono, October 6, 1999
  41. Coriocella nigra from Japan
    From: H. Ono, October 5, 1999
  42. Coriocella nigra
    From: Jacquie Sheils , May 5, 1999
  43. A nudibranch-like Coriocella from Okinawa
    From: Bob Bolland, March 23, 1999
  44. Your response to my Coriocella query
    From: Yves Muller, November 2, 1998
  45. Information on Coriocella spp
    From: Yves Muller, October 28, 1998

Show factsheet and all related messages