Flabellina albomarginata
(Miller, 1971)

Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: AEOLIDINA
Family: Flabellinidae

DISTRIBUTION

Throughout New Zealand. more commonly intertidal in the South Island.

PHOTO

found this tiny nudibranch while diving at the Poor Knights Ids [East coast, northern New Zealand], 22 August, 2000. Less than 10 mm long. Photo: Gareth Jones.

Ceratal digestive gland ranges in colour from orange to carmine red with a white tip. Body translucent white, with distinctive opaque white margin to the foot. Upper half of rhinophores and oral tentacles also marked with opaque white. The posterior side of the rhinophores bear tubercles. In previous descriptions the upper half of the rhinophores and oral tentacles are described as being white except for the tip. However in these photos from Poor Knights Ids, the white forms a distinctive line down the dorsal side of the oral tentacles and the upper half of the rhinophores. It grows to about 25 mm.

  • Miller, M.C. (1971) Aeolid nudibranchs (Gastropoda: Opisthobranchia) of the families Flabellinidae and Eubranchidae from New Zealand waters. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 50(4): 311-337.
Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 2000 (August 26) Flabellina albomarginata (Miller, 1971). [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/flabalbo

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