Cratena sp. from Durban, South Africa

June 7, 2001
From: Kirsty Miller

Dear Bill,
I found this nudibranch on a wreck off Durban, South Africa at a depth of Depth 22 m. The size of the nudibranch is 2.5 cm. I think the family is Facelinidae. Could you please help me with an ID

Thanks
Kirsty Miller

divegirl@xsinet.co.za

Miller, K., 2001 (Jun 7) Cratena sp. from Durban, South Africa. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/4497

Dear Kirsty,
My first thought was that this was Cratena capensis Barnard 1927 but on a closer look at your photo it seems to be the species which is called Cratena sp. 1 in both Terry Gosliner's book and the Forum. Whereas Cratena capensis has angular foot corners, this animal has more elongate tentacular foot corners. Terry also notes that C. capensis appears to be endemic to the Cape Province, [that is it is only found there], while your animal came from Durban, considerably further north. Yur animal also has quite long rhinophores and a dark spot in the ceratal figestive gland just below the tip, both characters noted by Gosliner as charcteristic of Cratena sp. 1. If you have other photos showing the head and anterior foot more clearly they could be useful, but I think this is Gosliner's Cratena sp. 1
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2001 (Jun 7). Comment on Cratena sp. from Durban, South Africa by Kirsty Miller. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/4497

Factsheet

Cratena? sp. 1

Related messages

  1. Re: Cratena sp. 1 from South Africa
    From: Terry Gosliner, July 28, 2000
  2. Cratena capensis? from South Africa
    From: Valda Fraser, July 27, 2000

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