Cuthona concinna
(Alder & Hancock, 1843)

Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: AEOLIDINA
Family: Tergipedidae

DISTRIBUTION

North Atlantic - both European and North American coasts, North Pacific - Vancouver Is, Canada.

PHOTO

Wemeldinge, de Oosterschelde, the Netherlands. PHOTO: Peter H. van Bragt

Grows to about 12mm in British waters. Feeds on a variety of hydroids.

Reference:
• Thompson, T.E. & Brown, G.H. (1984) Biology of Opisthobranch Molluscs, Vol 2. Ray Society: London.

Related messages


Re: Cuthona concinna from Woods Hole

May 29, 2003
From: Peter H. van Bragt

Hello Alan en Bill,
This US specimen is indeed from what I can observe from the photo most likely to be Cuthona concinna. Is it known on what hydroid this specimen was feeding on?

Very recent we have also found this species in Dutch coastal waters again. For us it is a very infrequent and rare visitor in late winter and spring.

Greetings from the Netherlands
Peter H. van Bragt

vanbragt.phjm@hsbrabant.nl

van Bragt, P.H., 2003 (May 29) Re: Cuthona concinna from Woods Hole. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/10029

Thanks Peter,
Bill Rudman

Cuthona concinna from Woods Hole, Massachusetts

May 22, 2003
From: Alan Shepard

Bill -
Here's another shot from Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA. I believe it is Cuthona concinna and was hoping you or someone else could confirm the identification.

This one was in about 4 meters of water under the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute's pier with two other individuals. It was approximately 11mm long or so.

A fellow diver had dived the site a week or two before and had asked me to dive the area to see if I could identify the nudibranch he had seen. I was lucky enough to find a few specimens of what he had described.
Sincerely,
Alan Shepard

alan.chepard@snet.net

Shepard, A., 2003 (May 22) Cuthona concinna from Woods Hole, Massachusetts. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/9965

Dear Alan,
It certainly seems to fit that species to me, but a confirmation from either side of the Atlantic would be welcome.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Re: Cuthona concinna from Nova Scotia, Canada

March 17, 2003
From: Peter H. van Bragt

Hello Alan and Bill,
I agree that Cuthona concinna is a fair determination of Alan's photo. In the Netherlands, we find this species only in winter and spring and only following severe winters. In the mid '90th we had such winters. But since then weather has been rather mild and in the succesive years C. concinna apeared in declining numbers. The last few years it has not been found again. We just have to wait for a severe winter. It seems to be a typical Northern Atlantic species.
best regards
Peter H. van Bragt

vanbragt.phjm@hsbrabant.nl

Thanks Peter,
Bill Rudman

Cuthona concinna from Nova Scotia, Canada

March 12, 2003
From: Alan Shepard


Bill -
Apologies for the quality of this photo but the identification of these nudibranchs is puzzling me.

The photo was taken on the artificial reef, HMCS Saguenay, off Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada this past summer. The wreck is covered in hydroids, sponges, anemones (M. senile) and nudibranchs. These two nudibranchs were at a depth of about 22 meters. They were not large, maybe 15 millimeters at best.

I did a bit of looking around and from Bernard Picton's book, A Field Guide to the Nudibranchs of the British Isles, they seem to match Cuthona concinna. Bernard's book says the key characteristics are grey digestive gland in the cerata and white pigment on the cerata and head tentacles. He also lists Sertularia argentea as its food source. I'm not familiar with hydroids so I don't know if that is the hydroid they are perched on. Any help you can provide would be appreciated
Sincerely,
Alan Shepard

alan.chepard@snet.net

Shepard. A., 2003 (Mar 12) Cuthona concinna from Nova Scotia, Canada. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/9260

Dear Alan,
They certainly look like cuthonids, and could easily be Cuthona concinna. Hopefully Bernard can confirm the id or correct it for us
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Cuthona concinna from the Netherlands

August 25, 1999
From: Peter H. van Bragt

Dear Bill,

Here is a photo of Cuthona concinna to add to the Netherlands' List.

Location: Wemeldinge, de Oosterschelde, the Netherlands

With best regards


Peter H. van Bragt

Peter.vanBragt@ftn.hsbrabant.nl

van Bragt, P.H., 1999 (Aug 25) Cuthona concinna from the Netherlands. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/1233