Re: Chromodoris elegantula

June 3, 2005
From: Haluk Akbatur


Dear Bill:
In answer to your comments [#13920] I have looked at all the photos I have of Chromodoris elegantula, I should also point out that :

  • There are only few, tiny red spots scattered on posterior part of foot and anterior part of tail.
  • There are diffuse opaque white spots scattered over the mantle between small red spots and nearly ten times bigger than red spots.
  • The gills aren't bipinnate? They looks like unipinnate !?

Regarding these findings can you identify this species?
With my best regards
Haluk

lasergoz@ttnet.net.tr

Akbatur, H.H., 2005 (Jun 3) Re: Chromodoris elegantula. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/13939

Dear Haluk,
Thanks very much for finding the spots, if not many, on the foot. If this species is variable in colouration then it is possible some specimens can have more spots on the body/foot.

Concerning the gills. My mistake - I said 'simple and bipinnate' which is of course a contradiction, I meant to say simple NOT bipinnate. I have changed that sentence to 'The gills are simple [unipinnate],' so there is no confusion.

Can I identify the species? With these old descriptions all we usually have to go on is the original description which we then have to fit to the known fauna. As I see it your animal, with little red spots, is the only species that matches Philippi's description of C. elegantula. Perrone also reports the identical colour 'form' from Malta,  which is very close to Sicily, where Philippi first found the species. If the large-spotted form and the un-spotted form mentioned by Lucas Cervera prove the same or different doesn't change the fact that your small-spotted animal fits the original description of Philippi's C. elengantula the best.

As Lucas Cervera implies in his message [#13934] we can't say just how many species there are until we get some more information on their anatomy and biology. Your original query has certainly opened our eyes to an exciting little problem.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2005 (Jun 3). Comment on Re: Chromodoris elegantula by Haluk Akbatur. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/13939

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