Okenia zoobotryon from southeast Florida, USA

October 30, 2007
From: Linda Ianniello

Dr. Bill,
Here is a photo of Okenia zoobotryon from our area, since you don't have any images from Florida. It was so tiny that it is not a great shot, but shows some detail of the rhinophores and gills.

Locality: Lake Worth, 20 feet, Florida, USA, Atlantic Ocean, October 14, 2007, Intracoastal waterway with strong tidal currents. Length: Less than 1/2 inch. Photographer: Linda Ianniello.

As always, thanks for the great work on the forum. It is an invaluable resource.

Regards,
Linda I.

lindai1@bellsouth.net

Ianniello, Linda M., 2007 (Oct 30) Okenia zoobotryon from southeast Florida, USA. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/21015

Dear Linda,

This is a very valuable find. Okenia zoobotryon was described from Bermuda but we have no good description of the external features of the species from the Caribbean. Are the lateral papillae rounded? swollen at the tips? etc etc so this is the first clear picture I have seen of a Caribbean animal. The importance of this is that it seems to have a worldwide distribution, but slight differences in descriptions from different parts of the world have left some lingering doubts about whether it is a worldwide species or whether there are a number of similar looking species in different parts of the world. Your photo certainly makes me more comfortable in identifying animals from Australia as the same species.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2007 (Oct 30). Comment on Okenia zoobotryon from southeast Florida, USA by Linda Ianniello. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/21015

Factsheet

Okenia zoobotryon

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