Herviella mietta
Marcus & Burch, 1965

Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: AEOLIDINA
Family: Glaucidae

DISTRIBUTION

Eniwetak Atoll, Marshall Ids & Hawaii. New record on Forum from Japan.

PHOTO

Photo of specimen from type series from Eniwetak Atoll. Photo by J.B. Burch, sent to Bill Rudman by Eveline Marcus.

The original description mentions two colour types. "The first is light and transparent, the back covered in white granules, the head has a black pattern, there is a black band on the rhinophores, some black pigment on the (oral) tentacles, and the yellow diverticula of the intestinal gland may seen in the cerata (which also have white cnidosacs and, in their basal third, brown pigment). The second color type is dark, and the back and upper part of the sides of the foot are black, the rest of the foot and the sole are white, the tentacles have a narrow black longitudinal stripe, there is a black band on the rhinophores, there are light haloes around the eyes and between the tentacles, and the cerata are black, with a white cnidosac and the yellow intestinal gland showing though".

According to Burn (1967) the holotype is a black specimen [2nd colour type] as in the accompanying photo). Young (1967) reports further specimens from Eniwetak and makes the interesting observation that the larvae pass the veliger stage in the egg capsule, hatching as crawling young after 6 days. Egg capsules are deposited on the substrate and on the shells of the snail Cerithium sejunctum. Herviella mietta was observed eating the eggs of Cerithium sejunctum and Young suggests this is a seasonal occurrence and hypothesises that their normal food is a hydroid. Gosliner (1979) reports H. mietta and records it feeding on the anemone Anthopleura nigrescens. He also notes that Rosin's (1969) earlier extensive observations of Herviella sp. feeding on the column of Anthopleura refer to this species. If the identification is correct, this is the only record I can recall of a glaucid feeding on a sea anemone.

References:
• Burn, R F (1967) Revision of the genus Herviella (Opisthobranchia: Eolidacea). Malacologia, 6(1-2): 223-230.
• Gosliner, T.M. (1979) The systematics of the Aeolidiacea (Nudibranchia: Mollusca) of the Hawaiian Islands, with descriptions of two new species. Pacific Science, 33(1): 37-77.
• Marcus, Er., & Burch, J.B. (1965) Marine euthyneuran Gastropoda from Eniwetok Atoll, western Pacific. Malacologia, 3(2): 235-262.
• Rosin,R (1969) Escape response of the Sea Anemone Anthopleura nigrescens (Verrill) to its predatory aeolid nudibranch, Herviella Baba sp. nov. The Veliger, 12(1): 74-77.
• Young, D.K. (1967) New records of Nudibranchia from the Central and West-Central Pacific with a description of a new species. The Veliger, 10: 159-173.

Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 2001 (May 27) Herviella mietta Marcus & Burch, 1965. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/hervmiet

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