Cuthona? from Port Stephens
March 8, 1999
From: Carol Buchanan
Dear Bill,
Here is the next Port Stephens nudi needing ID. Richard had it as Berghia sp. Do you agree? It is a tiny little guy, shot at 1:1 & heavily cropped here, probably 12-15mm long
How is Ian Loch & Geoff Avern? Hope they are still working with you. Please pass on my hellos. On some of our trips to the Solomons, Neil & I have seen huge gatherings of Chromodoris lochi ..... I always spare a thought for Ian when I see them.
regards
Carol
nandcimages@key.net.au
Buchanan, C., 1999 (Mar 8) Cuthona? from Port Stephens. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/652Dear Carol,
Its always a bit difficult to confidently identify a small aeolid. I have had some great surprises when I have looked at the radula!
It could be a Berghia, but in an animal this small, I would think it looks quite mature with a good complement of cerata etc. This makes me think it is more likely to be a tergipedid, probably a species of Cuthona. The anterior end developed almost into an oral veil, with head tentacles joining just back from the edge, are certainly tergipedid features, as are the rounded anterior foot corners.
But as I said at the start, only a look at the anatomy would confirm my view. Your comments on Ian Loch are quite timely as I have just posted a page on Chromodoris lochi. Ian is still the very efficient Collection Manager of the museum's malacological collections. Geoff Avern, who has the more showy, but far less common Glossodoris averni, named after him, has left nudibranchs and is now studying archaeology in Brussels! Which only goes to show that a training in nudibranchology will set you up for anything!
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman.
