Pectenodoris aurora from Indonesia
April 8, 2010
From: Franco De Lorenzi
Dear Dr Rudman
These nudibranchs found in Siladen presents 3 white board stripes on the body. For some features looks like Hypselodoris maculosa or Pectenodoris aurora and on the other hand you explained very clearly to me how Pectenodoris trilineata can be variable in its form. I don't remember if these specimens were feeding or simply moving on the substrate you see therefore I can't help.
Locality: Siladen , 15 metres, Indonesia, indopacific ocean, 21 august 2007, Coral wall. Length: 12 mm. Photographer: Franco De Lorenzi.
Thanks a lot.
Franco
cratena@tiscali.it
De Lorenzi, F., 2010 (Apr 8) Pectenodoris aurora from Indonesia. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/23431
Dear Franco,
This is Pectenodoris aurora. The two species of Pectendoris are anatomically very similar, so it is possible we will discover they are colour forms of one species, but my gut feeling is that they are different. It is a good example of the problem of deciding just when colour variation within a species becomes enough colour variation to distingusih different species. usually we use anatomical differences and biological differences such as what food they eat and what shape their egg masses are, but in many cases we don't have enough information to be sure. That is why the Forum is a valuable place to post such photos, because it is helping us to build up a knowledge of the variability in some of these rarely found species.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
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