Noumea haliclona from Sydney

June 8, 2000
From: Noel Conlon

Hi Bill,

I photographed these slugs at Kurnell,
Botany Bay NSW in 12 meters of water. They were about 4cm long.

Best wishes

Noel Conlon

diannoel@hotmail.com

Conlon , N., 2000 (Jun 8) Noumea haliclona from Sydney. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/2470

Dear Noel,
I would be surprised if they were 4 cms long as this species normally only grows to about 15mm. It is Noumea haliclona, a common southeastern Australian species which I have avoided adding to the Forum until now because it shows a great amount of colour variation and all the forms need to be described. I have added four pages on this species including separate pages on the different colour forms found in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania.

It is a particularly interesting species because the southern colour forms are clearly cryptic, matching the colour of their food, while in New South Wales a white colour form has evolved to mimic the other red-spotted species of chromodorids endemic to the region.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman.

Rudman, W.B., 2000 (Jun 8). Comment on Noumea haliclona from Sydney by Noel Conlon . [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/2470

Factsheet

Noumea haliclona

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