Flabellina bertschi
Gosliner & Kuzirian, 1990

Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: AEOLIDINA
Family: Flabellinidae

DISTRIBUTION

Pacific coast of Panama, Gulf of California, west coast of Baja California, Mexico.

PHOTO

mid intertidal pool, Punta San Andrés (28o 42.50' N, 114o 18.07' W), west coast of Baja California, Mexico. March 2000. PHOTO: Jeff Goddard.

Differs from F. trilineata in having a broad white band on the notum and smooth rhinophores, instead of the three white lines and annulate rhinophores of F. trilineata.

See Jeff Goddard's message below.

References:
• Gosliner, T. M. (1994) New records of Flabellinidae (Opisthobranchia: Aeolidacea) from the tropical Americas, with descriptions of two new species. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 48: 171-183.
• Gosliner, T. M. & A. M. Kuzirian. 1990. Two new species of Flabellinidae (Opisthobranchia: Aeolidacea) from Baja California. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 47: 1-15.

Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 2000 (June 25) Flabellina bertschi Gosliner & Kuzirian, 1990. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/flabbert

Related messages


Re: Aeolid from Ecuador

August 23, 2003
From: Alicia Hermosillo

Dear Bill,
I agree with your ID of this critter, it is definitely Flabellina bertschi.
Alicia Hermosillo

gueri25@hotmail.com

Hermosillo, A., 2003 (Aug 23) Re: Aeolid from Ecuador. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/10822

Thanks Ali,
Bill Rudman


Aeolid from Ecuador

August 22, 2003
From: Soledad Luna


Dear Bill,
In May we found this little slug (less than 5 mm) under a cobble in the intertidal zone of a locality called Santa Marianita, near Manta (the second most important port of Ecuador).

I am very sorry that the pictures are so blury, but maybe they may help with the ID.

Cheers,
Soledad Luna

soledadl@mail.usfq.edu.ec

Luna, S., 2003 (Aug 22) Aeolid from Ecuador. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/10785

Dear Soledad,
As you say, the photo is a bit blurry. I can only make a guess. From the general colour, and the apparently smooth rhinophores, this could be Flabellina bertschi, but I can't be sure.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2003 (Aug 22). Comment on Aeolid from Ecuador by Soledad Luna. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/10785

Flabellina bertschi from Baja California

June 26, 2000
From: Jeff Goddard


This is part of Jeff Goddard's message about lookalikes of Flabellina trilineata, which I am repeating here on the Flabellina bertschi page.

".. here are two photos of F. trilineata and F. bertschi (Gosliner & Kuzirian (1990). I found these aeolids together in a mid intertidal pool at Punta San Andrés (28o 42.50' N, 114o 18.07' W) on the west coast of Baja California just this past March. At first glance I thought I was seeing 14 specimens of F. trilineata. Closer inspection, however, revealed two of the 14 to have a broad white swath on the notum and smooth rhinophores, instead of the three white lines and annulate rhinophores of F. trilineata. F. bertschi had been known previously only from the Pacific coast of Panama and the Gulf of California (Gosliner & Kuzirian, 1990; Gosliner, 1994). My wife Elise Schickel and I have just submitted a note on this and a few other range extensions to The Veliger.

References (F. bertschi only):
• Gosliner, T. M. (1994) New records of Flabellinidae (Opisthobranchia: Aeolidacea) from the tropical Americas, with descriptions of two new species. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 48: 171-183.
• Gosliner, T. M. & A. M. Kuzirian. 1990. Two new species of Flabellinidae (Opisthobranchia: Aeolidacea) from Baja California. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 47: 1-15.

Best wishes,
Jeff Goddard

goddard@lifesci.ucsb.edu

Goddard, J., 2000 (Jun 26) Flabellina bertschi from Baja California. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/2621

Thanks Jeff,
Bill Rudman.