Trapania aurata at Heron Island
February 14, 2001
From: Julie Marshall
Dear Bill,
On looking at your Trapania aurata page I notice that you have the distribution of this species as "known from Hong Kong, New Caledonia and possibly northwestern Australia". This species has also been found at Heron Island [Great Barrier Reef] (Marshall & Willan, 2000). Although I haven't found it myself, Neville Coleman photographed two animals at the Heron Island "Bommie" dive site back in November 1987.
Best wishes,
Julie Marshall
j.marshall@latrobe.edu.au
Marshall, J., 2001 (Feb 14) Trapania aurata at Heron Island. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/3794Dear Julie
Thanks for the the update. I have to rely on authors and other participants to keep information updated. My page on Trapania aurata predated the publication of your book, where you republish Neville Coleman's Heron Is photo from his 1987 book Nudibranchs of the South Pacific Vol 1.
The animals in Neville's photo are the same as the one from Bali in Michael Miller's earlier message. As I comment in that message, the deep orange colour, rather than golden yellow, and the lack of colour on the lateral processes make me wonder whether this is a distinct species.
I am sure that Trapania aurata has a wide distribution, at least in the western Pacific. However until we can look at its anatomy, I am just a bit unsure that this photo from Heron Is really indicates the presence of T. aurata on the Great Barrier Reef.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
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