Caldukia albolineata
Miller, 1970
Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: ARMININA
Family: Zephyrinidae
DISTRIBUTION
Restricted to the southern half of the South Island of New Zealand, Stewart Island and the Auckland Islands. Its depth distribution is from the low intertidal to 15 metres.
PHOTO
: 9 mm specimen, from 5 metres depth, Paterson Inlet, Stewart Island, 20 February 1979. Photo: Richard Willan.
Caldukia albolineata is a small zephyrinid that grows to about 15 mm. It has a translucent body it the cerata posses a dark brown “lumpy” (never forked) diverticulum of the digestive gland at their core. One element of the colouration of the cerata stands out prominently – on the inner face of every ceras there is a vivid white stripe running from the base to the tip and occasionally there are also some large white spots on either side of this streak. The cerata cannot be cast off (autotomised) when the animal is provoked.
References:
• Miller, M.C. 1970. Two new species of the genus Caldukia Burn & Miller, 1969 (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Opisthobranchia) from New Zealand waters. The Veliger, 12(3): 275-289.
• Miller, M.C. & Willan, R.C. (1986) A review of the New Zealand arminacean nudibranchs (Opisthobranchia: Arminacea). New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 13: 377-408.
Willan, R.C., 2001 (June 7) Caldukia albolineata Miller, 1970. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/caldalbo
