Atagema alba
(O'Donoghue, 1927)

Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DORIDINA
Superfamily: EUDORIDOIDEA
Family: Dorididae

DISTRIBUTION

East Pacific - Monterey Bay, California to Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico (Behrens & Hermosillo, 2005).

PHOTO

Locality: Buchanan's Reef, Palos Verdes, 20 metres, California, USA, Pacific Ocean, 22 July 2007, Rocky reef. Length: 20 mm. Photographer: Jim Lyle.

Body and mantle is a translucent brownish with scattered brown blotches. It has a broad mantle skirt and a high median ridge with a higher central tubercle which is whiter than the rest of the mantle. The gills are protected by three upright lobes along the naterior edge of the gill pocket. It grows to about 60 mm in length.

  • Behrens, D. W. and Hermosillo, A. (2005) Eastern Pacific Nudibranchs. A Guide to the Opisthobranchs from Alaska to Central America. Monterey, California, Sea Challengers.  1-137.
  • Bertsch, H. and Gosliner, T. M. (1986) Anatomy, distribution, synonymy, and systematic relationships of Atagema alba (O'Donoghue, 1927) (Nudibranchia: Doridacea). The Veliger, 29: 123-128.
Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 2007 (July 26) Atagema alba (O'Donoghue, 1927). [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/atagalba

Related messages


Atagema alba from southern California

July 30, 2007
From: Jim Lyle

Dear Bill,

Behrens and Hermosillo show this dorid as Atagema alba. As the slug forum does not have this branch in the species list, I thought I would pass along the image.

Locality: Buchanan's Reef, Palos Verdes, 20 metres, California, USA, Pacific Ocean, 22 July 2007, Rocky reef. Length: 20 mm. Photographer: Jim Lyle.

Jim Lyle.

jlyle@adelphia.net

Lyle, J. L., 2007 (Jul 30) Atagema alba from southern California. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/20298

Hi Jim,

Nice find. This species is certainly not very common. It is readily identified by the strong irregular dorsal ridge, and the three extra-branchial lobes, shown in the close-up.

Thanks for adding this species to the Forum,
Dave Behrens

Behrens, D.W., 2007 (Jul 30). Comment on Atagema alba from southern California by Jim Lyle. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/20298