Re: Striped and unstriped Lobiger viridis together

December 8, 2009
From: David and Leanne Atkinson


Concerning message #5658:

Dear Bill,
Keen eyed dive buddy spotted this Lobiger on some kelp at Fly Point. We have not seen one before in our 30 years of diving the area. Would you please help with the identification? It has the blue stripes like the Lobiger souverbii but in this message you were saying that you were identifying both blue striped and plain individuals in this area as Lobiger viridis. 

Locality: Fly Point, Port Stephens-Great Lakes Marine Park, Port Stephens , 8metres, New South Wales, Australia, Pacific Ocean, 06 December 2009, Sandy bottom with kelp, scattered sponges, bryozoans, ascidians, soft corals and gorgonias. Length: 6 mm. Photographer: David and Leanne Atkinson.

Thanks for your help,
David & Leanne Atkinson

atk@hunterlink.net.au

Atkinson, D. & L., 2009 (Dec 8) Re: Striped and unstriped Lobiger viridis together. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/22944

Dear David and Leanne,

It is a nice find and nice photos showing the head so clearly. Some people have decided to synonymise the Indo-West Pacific L. viridis with the earlier Caribbean L. souverbii but I know of no anatomical comparison. it seems to me that there are differences in the 'cerata' which flank the shell. which in Pacific animals usually have large enrolled secondary flaps. Kathe Jensen [message #5641] also suggests there are radula differences which need to be investigated.

In shape and colour the two 'species' appear to be closely related and both appear to have lines and unlined variations. It is possible they are the same species and so represent another circumglobal species, but I think we need a proper comparative study. Synonymising species should not be undertaken lightly because if can lead to greater nomenclatural confusion than keeping them as separate species. If they turn out to be separate species we have the added complication of identifying the East Pacific animal in Kevin Lee's message [#22938]. As a number of tropical American species occur on both sides of the Panama Isthmus, is it the West Pacific species or is it the Caribbean species?

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2009 (Dec 8). Comment on Re: Striped and unstriped Lobiger viridis together by David and Leanne Atkinson. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/22944

Factsheet

Lobiger viridis

Related messages

  1. Lobiger viridis from Gulf of Kachchh
    From: Dishant Parasharya, April 13, 2010
  2. Re: Lobiger viridis from Kerala, India
    From: Dr. A. Biju Kumar, September 7, 2009
  3. Slug in Fishtank
    From: Jannes Freiberg, January 20, 2006
  4. Lobiger from Heron Island mating
    From: Julie Marshall, April 25, 2005
  5. Re: Lobiger viridis from the Philippines
    From: Erwin Koehler, May 23, 2003
  6. Lobiger and eggmass from the Philippines
    From: Erwin Koehler, April 11, 2003
  7. Lobiger from Malaysia
    From: Erwin Koehler, January 16, 2003
  8. More photos of Lobiger viridis
    From: Scott Johnson, November 23, 2001
  9. Re: Lobiger sagamiensis from Hong Kong
    From: Bernard Picton , November 17, 2001
  10. Re: photo of Lobiger cf. souverbii
    From: Nishina Masayoshi, November 9, 2001
  11. What is Lobiger viridis?
    From: Bill Rudman, November 9, 2001
  12. Striped and unstriped Lobiger viridis together
    From: Bill Rudman, November 9, 2001
  13. Re: Lobiger cf. souverbii from Japan
    From: Kathe R. Jensen, November 8, 2001
  14. Lobiger cf. souverbii from Japan
    From: Nishina Masayoshi, November 6, 2001

Show factsheet and all related messages