Ceratosoma trilobatum from Eilat
April 2, 2003
From: Michael Levin
![](/images/m9507a.jpg)
![](/images/m9507b.jpg)
Hello Bill,
I enjoy to visit your wonderful web site, keep on with the good job.
I hope you would be interested in these photos of Ceratosoma tenue Something interesting about this nudibranch is that it moves very fast on the sandy bottom and it quite huge (about 15cm).
Locality: North beach of Eilat, northen part of Gulf of Eilat (Aqaba), Red Sea.
Depth: 15m
Date: Feb 2003
Size: 150mm
Michael Levin
michael@scubadiving.com
Levin, M., 2003 (Apr 2) Ceratosoma trilobatum from Eilat. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/9507Dear Michael,
Thanks for these photos of Ceratosoma trilobatum. C. tenue tends to be more elongate and has a secondary lobe on each side between the head and the gills. This is quite an interesting colour form in which the dorsal 'horn' with its red spots is quite a different colour to the rest of the body.
Most species of Ceratosoma have a long recurved dorsal 'horn' which acts as a defensive lure attracting potential predators to the part of the animal which contains most of the distasteful chemicals stored from their food. See Ceratosoma brevicaudatum for photos of its conspicuously marked 'tail', especially in juveniles. This colour 'target' probably also attracts potential predators to the most distasteful part of the animal (Rudman, 1991). See photo of Ceratosoma tenue from Dar es Salaam, in which whole dorsal horn has been cut off, probably bitten off.
• Rudman, W.B. (1991) Purpose in Pattern: The evolution of colour in chromodorid nudibranchs. Journal of Molluscan Studies, 57 (T.E.Thompson Memorial Issue): 5-21.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Related messages
-
Re: Juvenile of Ceratosoma bicolor from Lembeh?
From: Zeineb Alhaidari, October 28, 2009 -
Juvenile of Ceratosoma bicolor from Lembeh?
From: Zeineb Alhaidari, October 27, 2009 -
Re: Ceratosoma trilobatum from Bali
From: Marcel Tanke, October 13, 2008 -
Ceratosoma trilobatum from Mussandam, Oman
From: Yahia Mokhtar, July 23, 2008 -
Ceratosoma trilobatum from Egypt
From: Dorota Czerny, June 10, 2008 -
Ceratosoma trilobatum from Ningaloo Reef, WA
From: Kristin J Anderson, February 7, 2008 -
Ceratosoma trilobatum from Bali
From: Kenneth Yong, September 5, 2007 -
Ceratosoma trilobatum feeding
From: Bruce Wight, June 7, 2007 -
Ceratosoma trilobatum from Indonesia
From: Natasja Vandeperre, May 4, 2007 -
Re: Is Ceratosoma trilobatum a fakir?
From: Julia Socha, October 31, 2006 -
Ceratosoma trilobatum in distress
From: Sean Kearney, July 28, 2006 -
Re: Ceratosoma trilobatum from sthn Queensland
From: Ron Velarde, March 1, 2006 -
Ceratosoma trilobatum from sthn Queensland
From: Bruce Wilkie, February 27, 2006 -
Is Ceratosoma trilobatum a fakir?
From: Krystian Bala, January 16, 2006 -
Ceratosoma from north end of Moreton Island
From: Gary Cobb, March 3, 2005 -
Ceratosoma trilobatum from Indonesia
From: Asther M. Lau, February 18, 2004 -
Ceratosoma trilobatum from Japan
From: Jason Bell, November 25, 2003 -
Ceratosoma trilobatum from Philippines
From: Vasa P. Sirinupongs, September 16, 2003 -
Ceratosoma trilobatum from Oman
From: Luigi Montevecchi, September 2, 2003 -
Ceratosoma trilobatum from Taiwan
From: Todd Garthwaite, June 23, 2003 -
Ceratosoma trilobatum? from the Philippines
From: Erwin Koehler, May 20, 2003 -
Ceratosoma with Emperor shrimp at Lembeh St
From: Danny Van Belle, January 4, 2003 -
Ceratosoma from Thailand
From: Danny Van Belle, December 23, 2002 -
Ceratosoma trilobatum from Riau, Indonesia
From: Alice Lee, November 12, 2002 -
Ceratasoma trilobatum with shrimp
From: Marli Wakeling, October 12, 2002 -
Ceratosoma trilobatum from Taiwan
From: Todd Garthwaite, July 23, 2002 -
Ceratosoma sp.? from Queensland
From: Greg Carter, June 3, 2002 -
Ceratosoma trilobatum from Riau Archipelago
From: Alice Lee, April 1, 2002 -
Ceratosoma trilobatum from Red Sea
From: Jochen Scholtyssek, July 13, 2000 -
Ceratosoma trilobatum from Thailand
From: Narongpon Sittithaweepat, April 23, 2000 -
Ceratosoma trilobatum from sthn Queensland
From: Tim Murrell, September 30, 1999 -
Ceratosoma trilobatum & C. tenue
From: Bill Rudman, September 30, 1999