Crimora lutea
Baba, 1949
Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DORIDINA
Superfamily: ANADORIDOIDEA
Family: Polyceridae
Subfamily: Triophinae
DISTRIBUTION
Tropical Indo-West Pacific.
PHOTO
Solitary Islands, Coffs Harbour Region, northern New South Wales, March 1987. 10mm. PHOTO: Bill Rudman.
A small polycerid, growing to about 15mm. It is yellow and covered in pointed black papillae. There are three gills. It feeds on a greyish green arborescent bryozoan. See message below for discussion on variation in rhinophore and gill colour from pale yellow to black.
Reference:
• Baba, K. (1949) Opisthobranchia of Sagami Bay. Iwanami Shoten, Tokyo. 211pp + pls.
Rudman, W.B., 1999 (October 24) Crimora lutea Baba, 1949. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/crimlute
Related messages
Crimora lutea? from Tasmania
April 17, 2000
From: Nerida Wilson
Dear Bill,
Is this an aberrant Crimora lutea, or a different species? I only found one specimen, at Spring beach, near Triabunna, Tasmania, Australia.
6 February 2000
6.5m depth
8mm
Temperate rocky reef
Nerida Wilson
nwilson@zen.uq.edu.au
Wilson, N., 2000 (Apr 17) Crimora lutea? from Tasmania. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/2225
Dear Nerida,
It certainly looks like Crimora lutea to me. I'm not sure what you think is 'aberrant' about it. I know in Willan & Coleman's book their photo is of a specimen with black rhinophore clubs and black edging to the gills but animals I have seen from Tasmania [see photo on right] has yellow rhinophore clubs and whitish gills like your specimen and one from northern New South Wales, [see photo at Top of page], as black rhinophores and yellow gills. Wells & Bryce (1993) illustrate a specimen from Western Australia with black rhinophores and yellowish gills. Baba (1949) does not mention these colour details in his description but the accompanying painting shows yellow rhinophores and gills with a small black line on one gill. Clearly there is some variation.
Photo data: Devonport, Tasmania, Australia, December 1985, 8mm. PHOTO: Bill Rudman.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman.
