Halgerda wasinensis from Kenya

January 7, 2004
From: Gavin Bushell

Dear Bill,
I have recently been to Kenya on a diving and safari trip, staying at Bamburi Beach, just north of Mombasa. The star find of the trip was the nudibranch in the pictures attached. I was having great difficulty in identifying it though, having realised it had external gills and could not therefore be Reticulidia halgerda. I soon realised it was one of the halgerdids. It took some browsing through the Website to spot the name "wasinensis" which I thought sounded very like Wasini Marine Park just south of Mombasa. I was hopeful when I opened the images and voila! Thank you very much for solving my problem.

The pictures were taken on 3 December 2003 at a dive site called Nyali Beach Reef. It was about 10 to 15 metres deep on the outside edge of the fringing reef. It was about 3 cms long. The substrate is fairly clear in the pictures, orange sponge, gunge and hydroids.

Gavin Bushell.

grbushell@mail.com

Bushell, G., 2004 (Jan 7) Halgerda wasinensis from Kenya. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/11770

Dear Gavin,
I'm glad the Forum helped you identify your animal and even 'gladder' that you decide to share these photos with us as I think it has helped solved a major puzzle concerning the identity of a species of Halgerda which has defied our best attempts in the past. I have discussed this in a separate message. Like Yves Coze's photos showing variability in H. formosa, your photos have proved incredibly valuable in helping us to understand variation in H. wasinensis.

It's also very good to see your animal on an orange sponge, which looks quite like the one in one of Yves' photos which is most probably the food of H. formosa
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2004 (Jan 7). Comment on Halgerda wasinensis from Kenya by Gavin Bushell. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/11770

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