Elysia from the Azores

April 5, 2010
From: Sérgio Ávila


Dear Bill:

A PhD student (Ricardo Cordeiro) collected in the intertidal a lot of juveniles of what appear to me to be Aplysia specimens. However, I am not an expert in Opisthobranchs and, apparently, they do not fit on the descriptions of the species reported to the Azores:
- Aplysia parvula Guilding in Mörch, 1863
- Aplysia depilans Gmelin 1791
- Aplysia fasciata Poiret, 1798
- Aplysia punctata Cuvier, 1803

Locality: Caloura beach, São Miguel Island, Azores archipelago, Azores, Northeast Atlantic, 31 March 2010, Intertidal, in algae. Length: 3mm. Photographer: Sérgio Ávila.

Thanks!

Sérgio Ávila
Research Associate
Department of Biology
University of the Azores
Portugal
www.uac.pt/~fosseis

avila@notes.uac.pt

Ávila, S.P., 2010 (Apr 5) Elysia from the Azores. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/23436

Dear Sérgio,

I think this is Elysia viridis which has been reported from the Azores. There is a somewhat similar species also reported from the Azores, E. gordanae  but it lacks the large blue spots.

I woud appreciate some advice from local experts as Malaquias et al say Elysia gordanae can be differentiated from E. viridis "by the presence of a pinkish-white coloration that covers the edge of the parapodia, rhinophores, head and mid-dorsal region of body" but I thought E. viridis often had pinkish colouration as well?

It would be good to know if the large blue spots, when present, are indicative of E. viridis, or are they also found in E. gordanae?

  • Malaquias, M.A., Calado, G.P., Padula, V., Villani, G., Cervera, J.L. 2009. Molluscan diversity in the North Atlantic Ocean: new records of opisthobranch gastropods from the Archipelago of the Azores. Marine Biodiversity Records, . Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. 2; e38 :1-9. Published online

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2010 (Apr 5). Comment on Elysia from the Azores by Sérgio Ávila. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/23436

Factsheet

Elysia viridis

Related messages

  1. Elysia viridis from Crete Island, Greece
    From: Marina Poddubetskaia Ossokine, November 9, 2009
  2. Re: Elysia viridis from Mediterranean sea
    From: Dominique Horst, May 12, 2009
  3. Elysia viridis from Scotland
    From: Jim Anderson, April 8, 2008
  4. Elysia from Tunisia
    From: Dorra Maaoui, May 24, 2007
  5. Unknown Elysia from Croatia
    From: Mat Vestjens, March 27, 2007
  6. Elysia viridis from South Devon, UK
    From: Judith Oakley, July 3, 2006
  7. Elysia viridis from the Baltic Sea
    From: Dirk Schories, September 2, 2005
  8. Elysia viridis post-larvae?
    From: Bart Teugels, March 25, 2004
  9. Elysia from Tunisia
    From: J. Ben Souissi and A. Eters, July 29, 2003
  10. Elysia viridis from Guernsey
    From: Richard Lord, July 15, 2003
  11. Elysia viridis from the Sussex coast, England
    From: Andy Horton, May 21, 2003
  12. Re: Philinopsis depicta from Tunisia
    From: Kathe R. Jensen, May 6, 2003
  13. Elysia viridis from Tunisia
    From: Anis, May 6, 2003
  14. Re: Elysia viridis?
    From: Peter H. van Bragt, May 1, 2002
  15. Two pics of juvenile Elysia viridis
    From: Mike Noren, January 11, 2002
  16. Elysia viridis from the Netherlands
    From: Peter H. van Bragt , October 6, 2000
  17. The shape of Elysia viridis
    From: Peter H. van Bragt , October 6, 2000
  18. Observations on Elysia viridis
    From: Andy Horton, October 1, 1999
  19. Re: The food of Elysia viridis
    From: Cynthia D. Trowbridge, August 22, 1999
  20. Re: Is Elysia viridis a single species?
    From: Cynthia Trowbridge, August 15, 1999
  21. The food of Elysia viridis
    From: Cynthia Trowbridge, August 15, 1999
  22. Re: Is Elysia viridis a single species?
    From: Kathe R. Jensen, August 14, 1999
  23. Re: Is Elysia viridis a single species?
    From: Cynthia D. Trowbridge, August 10, 1999
  24. Is Elysia viridis a single species?
    From: Cynthia D. Trowbridge, August 9, 1999
  25. Elysia viridis from the Netherlands
    From: Peter H. van Bragt, August 9, 1999
  26. Re: chloroplast symbiosis in Norway
    From: Jussi Evertsen, March 10, 1999
  27. Re: chloroplast symbiosis in Norway
    From: Cynthia Trowbridge, March 10, 1999

Show factsheet and all related messages