Nembrotha rutilans

July 2, 1999
From: Bill Rudman


Note added 4 March 2008: Following Pola et al (2008) the name N. rutilans has been replaced by Nembrotha purpureolineata [see message #21419].

This species was unfortunately named by Pruvot-Fol on the basis of a painting in a book by William Saville-Kent, (1893) entitled "The Great Barrier Reef of Australia". (Colour Plate 13, fig. 9 - Ancula sp.. The species can only be identified from the colour painting. The animal in the painting has almost identical markings to the Broadhurst Reef photo here. The major differences are that in the painting the background colour is all yellow, rather than white with a diffuse yellow edge. The gills in the painting are characteristically large as in the photos shown here. Another "species" with very similar colour is Nembrotha purpureolineata which was first described from Western Australia.

Upper: Broadhurst Reef, Townsville, Queensland, September 1974. Photo: Ian Loch. Lower: Fly Point, Port Stephens, central New South Wales, Australia, July 1990. Approx 120 mm long. Photo: Bill Rudman.

  • Pruvot-Fol, A. (1931). Note 10. Nudibranches Australiens figures par Saville Kent. Bull. Mus. Nat. hist. nat. Paris, 2(3): 754-755.

Best wishes
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 1999 (Jul 2) Nembrotha rutilans. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/21418

Related messages

  1. Nembrotha purpureolineata and caprellids
    From: Valda Fraser, February 17, 2009
  2. Abnormality in Nembrotha purpureolineata
    From: Leanne & David Atkinson, March 26, 2008
  3. Nembrotha purpureolineata laying eggs
    From: Leanne & David Atkinson, March 4, 2008
  4. Nembrotha rutilans mating in Raja Ampat
    From: Bob Whorton, June 5, 2007
  5. Nembrotha rutilans? from Indonesia
    From: Aaron Fink, March 5, 2007
  6. Nembrotha rutilans mating from Lembeh Strait
    From: Mike Krampf, December 5, 2006
  7. Nembrotha rutilans - feeding observations
    From: L. & D. Atkinson, February 15, 2006
  8. Nembrotha purpureolineata or purpureolineolata?
    From: Roberto Sozzani, February 10, 2006
  9. Nembrotha rutilans - colour variation
    From: Bruce Potter, February 8, 2006
  10. Nembrotha rutilans laying eggs
    From: Leanne & David Atkinson, February 6, 2006
  11. Nembrotha rutilans laying eggs - some more details
    From: Roberto Sozzani, June 24, 2005
  12. Nembrotha rutilans eating tunicate
    From: Bob Whorton, June 9, 2005
  13. Re: Nembrotha rutilans mating
    From: Roberto Sozzani, May 11, 2005
  14. Nembrotha rutilans mating
    From: Roberto Sozzani, May 5, 2005
  15. Nembrotha rutilans mating
    From: Dana Africa, January 30, 2004
  16. Nembrotha rutilans on the Great Barrier Reef
    From: Paul Osmond, January 8, 2004
  17. Nembrotha rutilans from Bali?
    From: Jukka-Pekka Salmenkaita, August 29, 2003
  18. re: Nembrotha rutilans at Fly Point
    From: Dave Harasti, April 25, 2003
  19. Nembrotha rutilans from Nelson Bay, Australia
    From: Dave Harasti, April 19, 2003
  20. Nembrotha rutilans from Sydney
    From: Paul Selwood, January 24, 2003
  21. Nembrotha rutilans juvenile feeding
    From: Danny Van Belle, January 17, 2003
  22. Nembrotha rutilans from Nelson Bay
    From: Allan Saben, January 15, 2003
  23. Nembrotha rutilans from Borneo
    From: Mark Burnett, December 31, 2002
  24. Nembrotha rutilans feeding
    From: Sabine Noack, November 1, 2002
  25. Juvenile? Nembrotha from North Sulawesi
    From: Marli Wakeling, October 6, 2002
  26. Nembrotha rutilans? from Malaysia
    From: Richard Houghton, September 16, 2002
  27. Nembrotha rutilans feeding
    From: Mary Jane Adams, May 11, 2002
  28. Nembrotha rutilans feeding
    From: Mary Jane Adams , September 20, 2001
  29. Nembrotha rutilans from Mozambique
    From: Valda Fraser, May 4, 2001
  30. Re: Nembrotha rutilans
    From: Jeremy Rose, September 23, 2000
  31. Nembrotha rutilans from Sydney
    From: A. Lumnitzer & D. Piotrowska, September 21, 2000
  32. Nembrotha rutilans in aquarium
    From: Jeremy Rose, September 19, 2000
  33. Nembrotha rutilans feeding
    From: David & Leanne Atkinson, January 22, 2000
  34. Nembrotha rutilans from Port Stephens
    From: Grey McNeil, July 14, 1999
  35. Nembrotha rutilans mating
    From: David & Leanne Atkinson, April 15, 1999

Show factsheet and all related messages