Favorinus branchialis
(Rathke, 1806)
Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: AEOLIDINA
Family: Glaucidae
DISTRIBUTION
Coast of Europe from Murmansk and Norway to the Mediterranean, and south along the west African coast.
PHOTO
Gran Canaria Island, Canary Ids, off west African coast. Approx 1 cm, depth 8 m, February 1998. PHOTO: Arthur J. Telle.
Grows to about 25mm. Body transucent whitish with a fairly charcteristic pattern of opaque white which includes a band on the dorsum which separates to form a elongate ring around the pericardium. Cerata have varying amounts of white pigmentation on the skin, the dominant colour of the cerata being dependant on the colour of the food contained in the duct of the digestive gland which runs up each ceras.
Like all species of Favorinus it feeds on sea slug eggs, including Sea Hares and nudibranchs. It has also been reported to feed on the hydroid Obelia at certain times of the year, and a number of authors have reported that it possesses a cnidosac at the tip of each ceras.
Authorship detailsRudman, W.B., 2000 (May 8) Favorinus branchialis (Rathke, 1806). [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/favobran
Related messages
Favorinus branchialis from South Wales
July 17, 2008
From: Judith Oakley
Dear Bill,
but I have quite a few sightings to tell you about from South Wales, UK.
The most exciting find for me recently was in a rockpool on Worm' Head Causeway, Gower, South Wales on June 3 2008. I observed 2 x Onchidoris bilamellata [lower photo] laying spawn on a rock about a foot down and there were 5 x Favorinus branchialis seemingly feeding on it. There was some other spawn nearby [upper photo - left side - Aeolidia papillosa?] but they were ignoring this. See attached images - not very good as was getting used to new camera, but they illustrate the story. I have never recorded either species before. In fact, after some investigation, it seems that F. branchialis has not been recorded on Gower before, so I am hopeful that this is the first record.
Best regards
Judith Oakley
jomoakley@btinternet.com
Dear Judith,
The aeolid is definitely Favorinus branchialis. The dark brown rhinophores with a white tip and subapical swelling are characteristic. And so is the white pattern on the back behind the rhinophores. It is reported to occur all around the British Isles, but doesn't seem to be particularly common anywhere. It is good to get another feeding record.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Re: Favorinus branchialis from Italy
January 31, 2006
From: Giuseppe Mazza
Concerning message #15701:
Many thanks ... unfortunately is aquarium picture ... I have not more information ...
Yours
Giuseppe Mazza
photomazza@libello.com
Giuseppe Mazza, 2006 (Jan 31) Re: Favorinus branchialis from Italy. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/15717Re: Favorinus branchialis from Italy
January 31, 2006
From: Juan Lucas Cervera
Concerning message #15701:
Dear Bill,
I agree with your ID.
Regards.
Lucas.
lucas.cervera@uca.es
Cervera, J.L., 2006 (Jan 31) Re: Favorinus branchialis from Italy. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/15714Thanks Lucas,
Bill Rudman
Favorinus branchialis from Italy
January 31, 2006
From: Giuseppe Mazza
Can you confirm this is Dicata odhneri?
Locality: Italy, Mediterranean. Photographer: Giuseppe Mazza
Giuseppe Mazza
photomazza@libello.com
Mazza, G., 2006 (Jan 31) Favorinus branchialis from Italy. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/15701Dear Giuseppe,
This is almost certainly Favorinus branchialis. Usually the rhinophores are darker in colour and there is a distinct swelling near the tip, but I think there is a hint of the swelling in your photo. Dicata odhneri usually has yellow tipped head tentacles. In future I would appreciate some more locality information, and if possible some indication of the size of any animals you photograph, In that way we can build up more information about the biology of these animals.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Favorinus branchialis from the Mediterranean
April 16, 2005
From: Sylvie Grall
Dear Bill,
I just don't know this species I found in the Etang de Thau (April 2004). I found 2 individuals crawling on the muddy bottom (size = 20 mm)
Locality: Etang de Thau. France. Mediterranean. Depth: 5 m. Length: 20 mm. 2 April 2005. Pillars. Photographer: Sylvie Grall.
Thank you for your help.
Sylvie.
sgrall@compuserve.com
Grall, S., 2005 (Apr 16) Favorinus branchialis from the Mediterranean. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/13492Dear Sylvie,
This is Favorinus branchialis. Species of Favorinus are interesting because they feed almost exclusively on the eggs of other sea slugs. Some species, such as F. branchialis, change colour as they move from one egg ribbon to another, the colour of the digestive gland in their cerata changing as the colour of the eggs they are eating changes.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Favorinus branchialis from Southern Spain
March 12, 2002
From: Alma Sánchez
Dear Dr. Rudman,
Here are photos of Favorinus branchialis (Rathke, 1806). This specimen was collected in July, 1999 at the Strait of Gibraltar, southern Spain at 10 m. It was feeding on a spawn of Platydoris argo. Size: 11 mm. Place: Punta Carnero Reef.
This specimen was identified by Prof. Dr. Juan Lucas Cervera.
Best wishes,
Alma Sánchez.
almasanchez83@hotmail.com
Sánchez, A., 2002 (Mar 12) Favorinus branchialis from Southern Spain. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/6366Thanks Alma,
Bill Rudman
Favorinus branchialis from Canary Ids
May 9, 2000
From: Erwin Koehler
Dear Bill,
This photo is from Gran Canaria Island, Canary Ids, off west African coast.
Divesite "Sardina del Norte". Photo by Arthur J. Telle, email: mercedes@idecnet.com
Size about 1 cm, depth 8 m, February 1998.
Erwin
Medslugs.Koehler@t-online.de
Koehler, E., 2000 (May 9) Favorinus branchialis from Canary Ids. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/2372Dear Erwin,
This is Favorinus branchialis which is one of that interesting genus of aeolids which feeds on other opisthobranch egg ribbons. It looks and acts much like the Indo-West Pacific species Favorinus japonicus.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman.
