Umbraculum umbraculum? from Turkey

November 15, 2002
From: Haluk Akbatur


Dear Bill,
Could you confirm, please, the identification of this Umbraculum? I think it's Umbraculum umbraculum. What's the difference between it and U. mediterraneum.

Locality: Izmir-Çesme, divesite: Bedroom, Turkey. Depth: 38 m, 27 July 2002. Length: 4.5 cm

Thanks,
Haluk Akbatur

lasergoz@ttnet.net.tr

Akbatur, H., 2002 (Nov 15) Umbraculum umbraculum? from Turkey. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/8411

Dear Haluk,
Thanks for these photos of Umbraculum. With the shell lifted up, the large gill, which curves behind the head and down the right side between the shell and the body, is clearly visible. Concerning its identity. Have a look at my comments on the Fact Sheet for Umbraculum mediterraneum. Many names have been given to Umbraculum from around the world. At present we are down to about two names: U. mediterraneum for animals from the eastern, and probably western, Atlantic, and Umbraculum umbraculum for those from the Indo-West Pacific. There has been recent moves by shell collectors to consider there to be a single species worldwide, which would be Umbraculum umbraculum, but I feel that we should leave the two names in use until someone compares the anatomy of Atlantic and Indo-West Pacific animals. Lumping species together without evidence is no better than making new species with no evidence.

So my advice at present is that if it is from the Mediterranean region then you should call it U. mediterraneum until we get evidence to the contrary. In a recent message about an animal from the Caribbean, I noted that Atlantic animals seemed to have whitish radial marks on the edge of the tubercles, which were absent from Indo-West Pacific animals. I think your photos show this as well.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2002 (Nov 15). Comment on Umbraculum umbraculum? from Turkey by Haluk Akbatur. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/8411

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