Flabellina affinis? from Senegal

July 8, 2003
From: Marina Poddubetskaia

Dear Bill,
Here are other eolids from Dakar. It looks like Flabellina affinis: the body is purple and there is violet ring obscuring the digestive gland in cerata. But rhinophores seem odd to me: they aren't lamellate but papillate. Do you think it is a different species ?

Dakar, Senegal, Eastern Atlantic
Upper Photo: Site: Tacoma Wreck., Depth: 10m., June 06, 2003. Size: 25mm
Lower Photos: Site: Tacoma Wreck., Depth: 14m., May 26, 2003. Size: 20mm
Photos: Marina Poddubetskaia - Nembro website

Best wishes,
Marina.

nembro@nembro.info

Poddubetskaia, M., 2003 (Jul 8) Flabellina affinis? from Senegal. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/10312

Dear Marina,
Itas rhinophores and general arranegment of cerata show it is not Flabellina affinisi but I'm afraid I am more confidemnt about what it isn't than what it is. I've looked at Ortea and Espinoa's recent (1998) review of the warm-water Atlantic species of Flabellina but it doesn't fit any of them very well. It has similarities to F. arveloi which is said to be common in the Cape Verde Ids, but in that species the rhinophores are described as smooth anteriorly with fine lamellae on the sides and small tubercles posteriorly, but in drawing seem to just have posterior papillae. In you animals the rhinophore tubercles seem to scattered rather irregularly all around the rhinophores. Unless a local worker can suggest an identification I guess I will have to keep this separate as Flabellina sp. 4. It has similarities to Flabellina pedata but I don't know these Atlantic species well enough to be sure

• Ortea, J. & Espinosa, J. 1998. Estudio de nueve especies del genero Flabellina Voigt, 1834 (Mollusca, Nudibranchia) colectadas en Angola, Cabo Verde, Costa Rica, Cuba y Portugal, con la descripcion de tres especies nuevas. Avicennia, 8/9: 135-148

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2003 (Jul 8). Comment on Flabellina affinis? from Senegal by Marina Poddubetskaia. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/10312

Factsheet

Flabellina sp. 4

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