Flabellina verrucosa with short cerata

May 13, 2003
From: Robert Eriksson


Dear Bill,
These photographs were taken in the Gullmarsfjord in Sweden, April 2003, at divesite Jordfall.

Concerning the correspondence about Flabellina verrucosa with short cerata. These photos show the short cerata, with clear gaps in between. I am puzzled by this appearence - is it really a Flabellina verrucosa? I am bound to think otherwise. In particular look at the white lines on the rhinopores, and the length of them.

I am a marine biology student at Gothenburg University. Just recently, I have launched a non-profit website with some photos on it. I thought you might be interested ...
http://dive.to/opisthobranchia

Thanks
Robert Eriksson

karlroberteriksson@hotmail.com

Eriksson, R., 2003 (May 13) Flabellina verrucosa with short cerata. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/9910

Dear Robert,
Thanks for the photos. As I said earlier, the forms with short cerata and long cerata certainly look different to me, but the only way to be sure to compare their anatomy and biology. As to your suggestion that it 'doesn't look like F. verrucosa' - it seems the opposite is true. If you look at Sars's original description then you will see that your 'short cerata' form does look very like F. verrucosa. It's just that all the photos you will have seen are of the 'long cerata' form. If the two forms are different species, then it is the 'long cerata' form which is not F. verrucosa. Unfortunately it then gets complicated as there are many old names that have been given to specimens in this 'F. verrucosa' group. Flabellina rufibranchialis (Johnson, 1832) is possibly the first available name for the 'long cerata' form but that would need to be checked. This 'species' well illustrates how much we still need to learn about the marine fauna of even some of the most well studied faunas of the world.

Thanks for alerting me to your website. I will watch it grow with interest.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2003 (May 13). Comment on Flabellina verrucosa with short cerata by Robert Eriksson. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/9910

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Flabellina verrucosa

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