Halgerda albocristata
Gosliner & Fahey, 1998

Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DORIDINA
Superfamily: EUDORIDOIDEA
Family: Dorididae

DISTRIBUTION

Tropical western Pacific.

PHOTO

UPPER RIGHT, LOWER LEFT: (15 mm) found at the reef crest at Heron Island, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland on 28 November 1995 under a dead coral slab.
LOWER RIGHT: (19 mm) found on 20 November 1998.
PHOTOS: Julie Marshall.

Halgerda albocristata is characterised by its yellow mantle with numerous intersecting opaque white lines (compared to H. elegans which has a translucent mantle with numerous intersecting, orange-yellow lines). The mantle margin is translucent white with numerous blackish brown lines - usually one long line and then three short ones. The undersurface of the mantle and the sides of the foot are white and spotted with blackish brown.

Reference:
Gosliner, T.M. & Fahey, S.J. (1998) Description of a new species of Halgerda, with a redescription of Halgerda elegans Bergh, 1905. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 50(15): 346-359.

Authorship details
Marshall, J., 2000 (March 10) Halgerda albocristata Gosliner & Fahey, 1998. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/halgalbo

Related messages


Halgerda albocristata from sthn Queensland

August 5, 2008
From: Gary Cobb

Hi Bill and everyone!
Here are some photos of Halgerda albocristata we found at Old Woman Island here on the Sunshine Coast.

Locality: Old Woman Island, Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast, 7 m, Queensland, Australia, Pacific Ocean, 30 December 2005, Subtidal. Length: 11 mm. Photographer: Gary Cobb and David Mullins.

Cheers
Gary Cobb

gary@nudibranch.com.au

Cobb, G.C., 2008 (Aug 5) Halgerda albocristata from sthn Queensland. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/21755

Thanks Gary,

This is still a fairly unknown species, so any records are valuable

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2008 (Aug 5). Comment on Halgerda albocristata from sthn Queensland by Gary Cobb. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/21755

Halgerda albocristata from nthn Mariana Islands

September 7, 2006
From: Takao Urasawa

Dear Dr.Bill,
This example of Halgerda albocristata has some black short lines and many spots around the mantle edge.

Locality: Grotto, 8m, Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, Pacific Ocean, 21 August 2006, on the wall in the hole. Length: 7 mm. Photographer: Takao Urasawa.

Best regards,
Ura

dswith@isletwind.com

Takao Urasawa, 2006 (Sep 7) Halgerda albocristata from nthn Mariana Islands. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/17630

Dear Ura,
Thanks for this. It ceratinly helps to build up a picture of colour variation in this species.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2006 (Sep 7). Comment on Halgerda albocristata from nthn Mariana Islands by Takao Urasawa. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/17630

Halgerda albocristata? from nthn Mariana Islands

August 2, 2006
From: Yuji Fujie

Dear Dr.Bill,
We thought this animal was Halgerda albocristata at first. But it has only black spots.

Locality: Wing Beach, 5m, Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, Pacific Ocean, 29 July 2006, on th dead coral. Length: 10mm. Photographer: Yuji Fujie.

Would you give us your advice, please ?
Yuji

dswith@isletwind.com

Yuji Fujie, 2006 (Aug 2) Halgerda albocristata? from nthn Mariana Islands. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/17292

Dear Yuji,
Halgerda albocristata  is a very recently described species, and in most cases, we still have much to learn about such species. I think you should think of your animal as a spotted form of H. albocristata rather than as a problem because it 'lacks' black lines around the mantle edge.

It's always good to get more specimens of new species because they help us to fill in the gaps in our knowledge. I suspect this is a form in which the radial black lines are replaced by black spots. Perhaps in the future we will find an 'intermediate' form with some lines and some spots.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2006 (Aug 2). Comment on Halgerda albocristata? from nthn Mariana Islands by Yuji Fujie. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/17292

Halgerda albocristata from Heron Island

March 11, 2000
From: Julie Marshall

Dear Bill,

Attached are both dorsal and ventral photos of Halgerda albocristata.

UPPER RIGHT, LOWER LEFT: (15 mm) found at the reef crest at Heron Island on 28 November 1995 under a dead coral slab.
LOWER RIGHT: (19 mm) found on 20 November 1998.

Halgerda albocristata is characterised by its yellow mantle with numerous intersecting opaque white lines (compared to H. elegans which has a translucent mantle with numerous intersecting, orange-yellow lines). The mantle margin is translucent white with numerous blackish brown lines - usually one long line and then three short ones. The undersurface of the mantle and the sides of the foot are white and spotted with blackish brown.

Best wishes

Julie Marshall

j.marshall@latrobe.edu.au

Marshall, J., 2000 (Mar 11) Halgerda albocristata from Heron Island. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/2078

Thanks Julie,
I haven't a good photo of this species. It's good to be able to compare it with H. elegans.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman.