Bornella stellifer
(Adams & Reeve, 1848)
Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DENDRONOTINA
Family: Bornellidae
DISTRIBUTION
Indo-West Pacific.
PHOTO
Rocher a la Voile, Anse Vata, Nouméa, New Caledonia, October 1988, intertidal, 25mm long. LOWER photos showing (LEFT) gills on inside base of each ceras and (RIGHT) showing head with rhinophore on a long stalk which bears a ring of long pointed papillae, and oral tentacles elaborated into a pair of star-like or palmate sensory organs. PHOTOS: Bill Rudman.
This common Indo-West Pacific species has a complicated nomenclatural history which is summarised in Bertsch (1980) and Rudman (1984). Both the names Bornella stellifer and Bornella digitata, which is what it was previously known as, refer to the starlike (stellifer) or finger-like (digitata) nature of the oral tentacles. Although this species clearly belongs to the Dendronotina it has many similarities in shape and natural history to the aeolids. It has a series of cerata-like structures on each side of its elongate body and it feeds on hydroids. Its 'cerata' however lack cnidosacs and they have a cluster of basal gills.
References:
• Bertsch, H. (1980) A new species of Bornella from tropical West-America. Spixiana, 3(1): 33-42.
• Rudman, W. B. (1984) The date and authorship of Bornella and Ceratosoma (Nudibranchia) and other molluscs collected during the voyage of H.M.S. Samarang, 1843-46. Malacological Review, 17: 103-104.
Rudman, W.B., 1999 (November 6) Bornella stellifer (Adams & Reeve, 1848). [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/bornstel
Related messages
Re: Egg ribbon of Bornella stellifer from India
August 18, 2009
From: Vishal Bhave
Concerning message #22453:
The alga in the above message on which egg laid is from the Genus Avrainvillea. Is it that strange ?
Vishal Bhave
vishalbhave@gmail.com
Bhave, V., 2009 (Aug 18) Re: Egg ribbon of Bornella stellifer from India. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/22542Thanks Vishal,
Since we know so little about egg-laying in Bornella I wouldn't know if this is strange or not. However, as these animals feed on hydroids I suspect the algae was not chosen on purpose. Any firm, solid structure, such as a bit of dead coral, or a rock, were just as likely to be chosen.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Re: Bornella stellifer? from Singapore [1]
June 4, 2009
From: Nick Chapman
Concerning message #22204:
Dear Forum,
Is this a further Bornella stellifer?. (I should have some better photos soon if required).
Locality: Chaloklum Bay, 12 metres, Koh Phangan, Thailand, Gulf of Thailand, 02 June 2009, Muddy/rocks. Length: 5-6 cm. Photographer: Nick Chapman.
Thank you for your tremendous work.
Nick Chapman
info@chaloklum-diving.com
Dear Nick,
Yes, I am pretty sure this is what I have been calling Bornella stellifer. It seems that as the animal grows in size the translucent parts of the body bcome much whiter. I would like some more photos, and if you come across smaller animals it would be intersting to see if they are as white as this one. So far we only have records of this colour form from southeast Asian waters.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Egg ribbon of Bornella stellifer from India
May 11, 2009
From: Vishal Bhave
Concerning message #22315:
Dear Bill,
here is an image of the egg ribbon of same the same animal (Bornella stellifer)
Locality: Mirya, Ratnagiri, 1.5 feet, Maharashtra, India, Arabian sea, 09 February 2009, Intertidal, in rockpool.(lat: 17.03129, long: 73.25692) Length: 4.5 cm. Photographer: Vishal Bhave.
Vishal Bhave.
vishalbhave@gmail.com
Bhave, V., 2009 (May 11) Egg ribbon of Bornella stellifer from India. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/22453
Dear Vishal,
This is a valuable photo as I don't think the egg ribbon of this species has been reported before. The secondary folding and coiling of the actual eggstring which we can see in the close-up - is quite characteristic of dendronotoideans. -
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Bornella stellifer from India
March 9, 2009
From: Vishal J Bhave.
Concerning message #22204:
This slug was found in rockpool at Mirya, Ratnagiri, in western India.
The area is rocky with sandy patches at an intervals, this area is exposed to open sea directly.
Locality: Mirya, Ratnagiri, 1.5 feet, Maharashtra, India, Arabian sea, 09 February 2009, Intertidal, in rockpool.(lat: 17.03129, long: 73.25692) Length: 4.5 cm. Photographer: Vishal Bhave.
Vishal Bhave
vishalbhave@gmail.com
Bhave, V.J., 2009 (Mar 9) Bornella stellifer from India. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/22315Dear Vishal,
Thanks for the record. It is good to get a few records from the Indian Ocean part of this species' geographic range.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Re: Bornella stellifer? from Singapore [1]
February 12, 2009
From: Toh Chay Hoon
Concerning message #22199:
Dear Dr Bill,
I have also come across a similar looking Bornella to the one shown in Michael Aw's message [#8054 ]. It was spotted at Pulau Hantu.
Locality: Pulau Hantu, 10 m, Singapore, South China Sea, 23 March 2008, On Orange Hydroid. Length: 50mm. Photographer: Toh Chay Hoon.
Thanks.
Chay Hoon
sonnenflower@gmail.com
Toh C.H., 2009 (Feb 12) Re: Bornella stellifer? from Singapore [1]. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/22204Thanks Chay Hoon,
I am pretty sure this animal and Michael Aw's are a colour variant of Bornella stellifer.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
A revision of the genus Bornella
January 27, 2009
From: Bill Rudman
Marta Pola, Terry Gosliner and I have just published a revision of the genus Bornella which includes a number of new species and shows that Bornella japonica Baba, 1949 from Japan is a junior synonym of Bornella hermanni Angas, 1864 from eastern Australia.
I have prepared Fact Sheets for the following species and will in the next few days update existing Fact Sheets.
Bornella dotoides Pola et al, 2009
Bornella johnsonorum Pola et al, 2009
Bornella valdae Pola et al, 2009
Bornella pele Pola et al, 2009
Bornella hermanni Angas, 1864
Bornella irvingi Edmunds & Preece, 1996
-
Pola, M., Rudman, W. B. & Gosliner, T. M. (2009) Systematics and preliminary phylogeny of Bornellidae (Mollusca: Nudibranchia: Dendronotina) based on morphological characters with description of four new species. Zootaxa, 1975, 1-57.
Re: Bornella stellifer from Queensland
October 13, 2008
From: Gary Cobb
Concerning message #11157:
Hi Bill and everyone!
Again I thought you might like to add to the Forum a record for a juvenile Bornella stellifer. Very unusual to ID accept the rings at the end of the cerata. Would you agree?
Locality: Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast, 16 m, Queensland, Australia, Pacific Ocean, 22 February 2006, Subtidal. Length: 8 mm. Photographer: Gary Cobb.
Cheers
Gary
gary@nudibranch.com.au
Cobb, G.C., 2008 (Oct 13) Re: Bornella stellifer from Queensland. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/21940
Dear Gary,
I would agree with your identification. At that size, even the rings can also be very faint.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Bornella stellifer from Gulf of Kutch , Gujarat, India
July 4, 2006
From: Arpit Deomurari
I found this beautiful sea slug in a sandy bottom off Pirotan island in Gulf of Kutch, Gujarat, India.
Locality: Pirotan Island, 1 feet, Gujarat, India, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Kutch, 11 november 2005, sandy bottom. Length: 1.5 inches. Photographer: Arpit Deomurari.
Arpit Deomurari.
deomurari@gmail.com
Deomurari, A.B., 2006 (Jul 4) Bornella stellifer from Gulf of Kutch , Gujarat, India. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/17016Dear Arpit,
This is Bornella stellifer. I also found this species at Pirotan Island, but in 1971. It has a wide distribution throughout the Indo-West Pacific, and feeds on small hydroids found growing over and under small rocks.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Bornella? from Jervis Bay, Australia
May 6, 2005
From: Leander Wiseman
Hi Bill,
I have to apologise for the pictures, they are not the best, but I was wondering if you could help me solve this nudi jigsaw puzzle... I wasn't able to get a clear complete photo the animal. It was burried in amongst a clump of coralline algae on a rocky reef at about 15m.
Locality: Bowen Island, Jervis Bay. NSW, Australia. Pacific. Depth: 15 m.
Length: approx 20 mm. 29 March 2005. Rocky Reef. Photographer: Leander Wiseman
My best guess is a Bornella based on the cerata, but my ID books don't indicate them in this region. Is there enough info in the pics to make an ID?
cheers
Leander
leanderwiseman@yahoo.com
Wiseman, L.M., 2005 (May 6) Bornella? from Jervis Bay, Australia. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/13646
Dear Leander,
Yes this is Bornella stellifer. I sympathise with your difficulties in getting a good photo. It is certainly a pain when these animals don't realise how important it is for them to behave! Concerning its distribution. I have found it as far south as Eden, which is quite a bit further south than Jervis Bay. It is one of those tropical species which can sometimes drift south down the east Australian coast, as larvae, in warm water currents and eddies.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Bornella stellifer from Queensland
October 21, 2003
From: Gary Cobb
Hi Bill!
I found this animal on Flinders Reef north of Moreton Island Queensland Australia 15m depth 20mm long at night. I think she is Bornella stellifer.
Thanks,
Gary.
gary@cobb.com.au
Cobb, G., 2003 (Oct 21) Bornella stellifer from Queensland. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/11157Dear Gary,
Yes this is Bornella stellifer. I note you call it 'she'. All sea slugs are hermaphrodite - that is fully functional as males and females, so 'it' is probably more appropriate than 'she'.
Cheers
Bill Rudman
Bornella from Sarawak
October 2, 2002
From: Michael Aw
Hello Bill,
I have been a follower of your forum; great stuff. Perhaps u be keen to do us slug feature;
Meanwhile I found this slug in Sarawak at 30m; about 10cm
Any clues?
Much appreciated
Michael Aw
Publisher
www.AsianGeographic.org
michael@asiangeographic.org
Aw, M., 2002 (Oct 2) Bornella from Sarawak. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/8054Dear Michael,
Your animal is a species of Bornella, and I suspect it is Bornella stellifer, which was first described from the South China Sea. Some years ago (Rudman, 1984) I came to the conclusion that this animal was found throughout the Indo-West Pacific, but I am beginning to wonder if this is so. Although you give no indication of size, the animals I have seen from the South China Sea seem to grow to a much larger size and to have an opaque white background colour. Of course the colour could be a size effect but it certainly is something worth looking into. As you illustrate so well in your photos, Bornella feeds on hydroids.
Reference:
• Rudman, W.B. (1984) The date and authorship of Bornella and Ceratosoma (Nudibranchia) and other molluscs collected during the voyage of H.M.S. Samarang, 1843-46. Malacological Review, 17: 103-104.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Juvenile Bornella stellifer from N.E. Taiwan
June 16, 2002
From: Todd Garthwaite
Hi Bill,
Here are some shots of Bornella stellifer. I recently came across 6 different juvenile specimens of this species, (no adults), all within a small area of 20 square meters, or less, containing rocks, silt, sponges, hard coral, and abundant amounts of coralline red algae.
Site: "Chen-Chuan,"/ ["Shipwreck"],Km. Marker 90.5, N.E. Coast, Taipei County, Taiwan
Date: 26 May 2002
Time: 09:47 - 10:40am
Depth: between 6.7 - 9.4 meters
Temp: 23 degrees C.
Size: Approx. 8 - 12mm.
Stay golden.
Peace, love, & nudis,
Todd Garthwaite
(Taipei, Taiwan)
typhoontoddy@yahoo.com
Garthwaite, T., 2002 (Jun 16) Juvenile Bornella stellifer from N.E. Taiwan. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/7098Thanks Todd,
Bill Rudman
Bornella stellifer from Taiwan's N.E. Coast
May 28, 2002
From: Todd Garthwaite
Hi Bill,
Here are three shots of (what I believe to be) Bornella stellifer. I came across 8 different specimens of this species in a large area (of varying depths) containing sand, silt, sponges, and patches of soft & hard coral.
Site: "Fan-Zai Ao" (["Barbarian Cove"], N.E. Coast, Taipei County, Taiwan)
Date: 19 May 2002
Time: 09:46 - 10:28am
Depth: 11.8 to 17.9 meters
Temp: 24 degrees C.
Size: Approx. 25 - 30mm
Stay golden.
Peace, love, & nudis,
Todd Garthwaite (Taipei, Taiwan)
typhoontoddy@yahoo.com
Garthwaite, T., 2002 (May 28) Bornella stellifer from Taiwan's N.E. Coast. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/7039Thanks Todd,
Bill Rudman
Bornella stellifer from American Samoa
September 24, 2001
From: Don Barclay
Dear Bill,
Here's a pic of Bornella stellifer for the Samoan record. I've never found it before, and I don't believe Larry Madrigal ever found it here either. If this one were a nudibranch eater, I would have sworn he ate a small Marianina rosea that was in the container with him. I took a few photos, changed batteries, and turned back around to take photos of the M. rosea, and found that he had evaporated. I never found him, either in the container or around it.
Collected 3 August 2001 around noon, reef flat just west of Sailele village <1m deep, inside a small coral piece which was under a huge slab. Length 30mm.
Take care,
Don Barclay
n5ols@samoatelco.com
Barclay, D., 2001 (Sep 24) Bornella stellifer from American Samoa. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/5014Thanks Don,
Bornella stellifer seems to be characterised by the subapical orange band on the dorso-lateral processes which are absent in B. japonica. Another character would seem to be that the large posterior papilla on the rhinophore stalk is smooth, while in B. japonica it has some secondary papillae budding off.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Bornella stellifer from SE Sulawesi
February 19, 2000
From: Lindsay Warren
Dear Bill
I thought you might be interested to hear about all the Bornella stellifer found on Pulau Hoga last year [Tukang Besi, SE Sulawesi, Indonesia - Operation Wallacea].
They were initially found by Nikki Rowlands when she was inspecting the overhanging rocks exposed during a daytime low tide. They were located in small holes in the vertical rocks about 20-40 cm below the maximum high tide mark. We thought they might be committing suicide as they were exposed to air. However this did not seem to bother them as they became perfectly active once in water again even though they had been out of the water for several hours. There is obviously enough moisture in the holes to keep them from drying out before the tide rises again. On this occasion Nikki found two. However, almost two weeks later we went on the hunt again finding 12 and a week later found a further 14.
We never saw any on the reef while diving, only in these holes. Is this quite common behaviour for Bornella stellifer?
All the best
Lindsay Warren
100014.2112@compuserve.com
Warren, L., 2000 (Feb 19) Bornella stellifer from SE Sulawesi. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/1918Dear Lindsay,
What an interesting observation. I have never seen them in such places though I have looked for the limpet-like Smaragdinella [Fam: Phanerophthalmidae] up there.
I have however, often found Bornella on rather bare, exposed rocky substrates, in shallow pools or under rock slabs which were out of water at low tide. Usually there were colonies of short turfing hydroids around on which I presume the Bornella were feeding. From your description I suspect the little holes your Bornella were in were in a rock face with a very uneven pitted surface. There are quite tough hydroid species, or growth forms, with only one or two polyps per stalk, which grow on pitted shaded surfaces like you describe. Perhaps it was these hydroids that attracted the Bornella to the region. Whether ther are hydroids there would be another thing worth checking out on your next visit.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman.
Bornella stellifer from South Africa
January 24, 2000
From: Valda Fraser
Dear Bill
Which is this, Bornella adamsi or Bornella stellifer?
Location: South Coast KwaZulu-Natal SOUTH AFRICA. Park Rynie - 25m
Size: 35mm
Date: 27 December 1999
Regards
Valda Fraser
iti04937@mweb.co.za
Fraser, V., 2000 (Jan 24) Bornella stellifer from South Africa. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/1719Dear Valda,
Quite a few names have been given to animals which are now usually considered to be Bornella stellifer. The colour of the reticulate pattern varies from dull yellow brown to bright orange and can range from a few scattered patches and irregular lines to a distinct network all over the body. It also appears that the length of the papillae is proportionally longer in smaller specimens.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman.
Bornella stellifer
November 7, 1999
From: Bill Rudman.
I have posted a page on Bornella stellifer to accompany Valda's message from South Africa.
Bill Rudman.
