Nembrotha guttata from Heron Island

January 30, 2002
From: Julie Marshall


Dear Bill,
Attached are photos of a large red spotted Nembrotha found at Heron Island [Great Barrier Reef, Qld, Australia] in November 2001 which I am at present tentatively calling Nembrotha cf guttata. It was feeding on the blue ascidian, Clavelina moluccensis at 12 metres and was 95 mm in size.

This animal has a chocolate-brown body and the the pustules are pale green with large orange-red centres. The rhinophores are brown and the rhinophoral pockets are pale green with a red rim . The gills are chocolate brown with their outer faces pale green with some red splotches and tipped with red. There is a white rim round the margin of the foot and the foot sole is translucent. The oral tentacles are white.

Yonow's Nembrotha guttata, from the Indian Ocean, was described from a much smaller animal measuring 30 mm preserved. She described the mantle as black with only 30% of the red pustules edged in green.

Best wishes,
Julie Marshall

juliemarshall@netspace.net.au

Marshall, J., 2002 (Jan 30) Nembrotha guttata from Heron Island. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/6072

Thanks Julie,
On reflection I suspect this is Yonow's species. Your photos and John Chuk's fit her description much better than the animals I had concluded were N. guttata. I have moved them to a Nembrotha cf. guttata page. It is unfortunate that Yonow described her species from a single animal and a noyt very clear photo.

Your animal also seems to be identical to Lindsay Warren's photo from Sulawesi which I tentatively identified as Nembrotha cristata. In that message I discuss its similarities and differences with N. guttata.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2002 (Jan 30). Comment on Nembrotha guttata from Heron Island by Julie Marshall. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/6072

Factsheet

Nembrotha guttata

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