Hawaiian Julia sp. 1
October 12, 2001
From: Cory Pittman
On Maui, shells of Julia sp. 1 are common in sand samples that include material from moderately exposed to exposed rocky habitats. All told, I've seen several thousand valves with a maximum shell length of 1.9 mm. I've also picked up 13 live animals in algae washes from depths of less than 1 m to 3 m. The color is highly consistent with the shell marked only with broad, radiating bands of lighter and darker green. In live animals, the body is green with scattered white flecks. In contrast to the other three Hawaiian species of Julia, the posterior margin of the shell is broadly rounded. The hinge is moderately large with a central knob that is arcuate and lacks a prominent terminal depression. There are a series of fine, ratchet-like ridges on its inner surface. [See separate message for detailed photos of shell]
I've found shells in sand samples (sent to me Pauline Fiene-Severns and Jerry Flora) from Indonesia, Midway Atoll, Raratonga and Magaia(Cook Islands).
The live shot is of an animal collected in an algae wash at Five Graves, Maui on July 31, 2001. The wash covered a depth range of 1.5 m to 6 m. The shell photos are of a closely matched (though lightly worn) pair 1.6 mm in length. They were in sand samples collected from beach drift at Maalaea Bay, Maui in 1986 and 1987.
Cory Pittman
cory@cet.com
Pittman, C., 2001 (Oct 12) Hawaiian Julia sp. 1. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/5376Related messages
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Shell of Julia sp. 1
From: Cory Pittman, October 12, 2001
