Are Chelidonura electra and Chelidonura amoena one species?

November 22, 2006
From: Linda Ianniello

Concerning message #18378:

Which one do you think it is - Chelidonura electra or C. amoena, or a hybrid? It looks like C. electra, but I can't find any reference to one with spots?

Locality: Sambousa Island, Sangean, Tikno Reef, 60 feet, Indonesia, 5 September 2006, Coral reef. Photographer: Linda Ianniello.

Regards,
Linda I.

lindai1@bellsouth.net

Ianniello, L.M., 2006 (Nov 22) Are Chelidonura electra and Chelidonura amoena one species?. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/18490

Dear Linda,
I must say I have never seen one with a colour pattern quite like this before. Richard Willan [message #9637] describes a similarly coloured animal as a hybrid between C. electra and C. amoena, but I am not happy with the concept of hybrids. It seems to me that they are either two species or one. There is one photo on the Forum from Christmas Island [#6622] which is quite like your animal, but because it lacks a yellow border I had no qualms in considering to be C. amoena. Looking through the photos of C. amoena, those that have some yellow colouring, usually have it just around the edge of the 'tails'.

Both species have a very similar shape with a large left 'tail' and a much smaller right 'tail'. I am still undecided on whether they are one or two species. One thing that puzzles me is that if they are colour variants of one species why don't we find mixed populations together? At times we find many hundreds of small C. electra and C. inornata on rock platforms around Sydney. I have never seen a specimen with even a small dark patch. Similarly, there are a number of reports of large numbers of C. amoena on the Forum, but no mention of pure white ones.  As I said when discussing Richard Willan's message, all I can ask is for everyone to add this to their list of things to look out for.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2006 (Nov 22). Comment on Are Chelidonura electra and Chelidonura amoena one species? by Linda Ianniello. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/18490

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