Cuthona kuiteri
Rudman, 1981

Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: AEOLIDINA
Family: Tergipedidae

DISTRIBUTION

Known only from New South Wales, eastern Australia

PHOTO

Upper: Ventral view to show the remarkable cerata which mimic the hydroid polyps on which it feeds. Green Point, Sydney Harbour, New South Wales, Australia, September 1979. Photo: John Fields. Lower: Drawing of  animal on sponge with associated hydroids. Bill Rudman.

RELATED TOPIC

Defensive colouration in sea slugs

Cuthona kuiteri has only been found associated with Zyzzyzus spongicola, which is a solitary tubularian hydroid which lives partially buried in sponge colonies. In a unique type of mimicry the aeolid has evolved cerata which mimic the polyps of the hydroids, with rings of both oral and aboral tentacles.

  • Rudman, W.B. (1981) Polyp mimicry in a new species of aeolid nudibranch mollusc. Journal of Zoology, London, 193: 421-427.
Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 1998 (October 14) Cuthona kuiteri Rudman, 1981. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/cuthkuit

Related messages


Cuthona kuiteri - update of images

September 20, 2005
From: Bill Rudman


I am posting today an interesting message from Linda Ianiello concerning Austraeolis catina, an aeolid which seems to be associated with a sponge.  I compare it with Cuthona kuiteri, which is also associated with a sponge, but rather than using the sponge for food, it feeds on a hydroid which has a symbiotic or commensal relationship with the sponge. I took the opportunity to upgrade the images I had on the Fact Sheet for that species.

Upper: Ventral view to show the remarkable cerata which mimic the hydroid polyps on which it feeds. Green Point, Sydney Harbour, New South Wales, Australia, September 1979. Photo: John Fields. Lower: Drawing of  animal on sponge with associated hydroids. Bill Rudman.

Bill Rudman

billr@seaslugforum.net

Rudman, W.B., 2005 (Sep 20) Cuthona kuiteri - update of images. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/14804

A close-up of the remarkble polyp-shaped cerata of Cuthona kuiteri.