Halgerda dalanghita
Fahey & Gosliner, 1999

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

DISTRIBUTION

Tropical Indo-West Pacific.

PHOTO

Underside of a dead coral at 10m depth, Kerama Is. near Okinawa. The bigger animal is 30mm long. Inset showing colour of ridges. PHOTO: Atsushi Ono.
See message.

Mantle is yellow to pale orange-brown and there are relatively low angled ridges. The ridges are lined with white and oulined with rows of small brown specks. brown and white marks can be found scattered elsewhere on the mantle. The rhinophore clubs are black and there is a dull black mark on the posterior side of the rhinophore stalks. The gills are translucent white.

Reference:
•Fahey, S. & Gosliner, T.M. (1999) Description of three new species of Halgerda from the western Indian Ocean, with a redescription of Halgerda formosa, Bergh, 1880. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 51(8): 365-383.

Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 2000 (March 14) Halgerda dalanghita Fahey & Gosliner, 1999. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/halgdala

Related messages


Halgerda dalanghita from Sodwana Bay

August 19, 2008
From: Colin Ogden

Concerning message #21783:

Hi Bill,
I was browsing on the forum this morning, and came across the message from Barbara Hanchard on the Halgerda dalanghita. Jesse Veldhuis took this picture in August 2006 of this slug in the rockpools here at Sodwana Bay, which shows that the distribution is much wider. It must be extremely rare here, because this is the only record I have of it being seen.

regards
Colin

Locality: Sodwana Bay, South Africa, Indian, Aug 2006, rock pool. Length: 20 mm. Photographer: Jesse Veldhuis.

scubaco@iafrica.com

Ogden C. M., 2008 (Aug 19) Halgerda dalanghita from Sodwana Bay. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/21804

Dear Colin,

Thanks for the record. I made a mistake in my reply to Barbara's message when I said Halgerda dalanghita was only known from the Japanese region. The only reports on the Forum were from Japan but it was originally reported from South Africa, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines, so as I say in the Fact Sheet, it apparently has a wide Indo-West Pacific distribution.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2008 (Aug 19). Comment on Halgerda dalanghita from Sodwana Bay by Colin Ogden. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/21804

Halgerda dalanghita from the Solomon Islands

August 13, 2008
From: Barbara Hanchard

Hi Bill,

I noticed there are very few entries for Halgerda dalanghita and perhaps this entry will add to the numbers and information on the Forum. I was delighted to find this nudibranch the other day. Please can you confirm whether or not it is likely to be Halgerda dalanghita.

Locality: Leilei, Honiara, 10 meters, Guadacanal, Solomon Islands, Pacific Ocean, 10 August 2008, Sandy slope. Length: 20 mm. Photographer: N.Barbara Hanchard.

Regards
Barbara Hanchard

barbara.hanchard@ffa.int

Hanchard, N.B., 2008 (Aug 13) Halgerda dalanghita from the Solomon Islands. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/21783

Note added 19 August 2008: This species has a wide Indo-West Pacific distribution - not just the Japanese region. [see message #21804]

Dear Barbara,

From the colour pattern and nature of the ridging on the mantle I have no doubt that your identification is correct. Until now, this species has only been reported from the Japanese region, so your find is a substantial increase in the species' known distribution.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2008 (Aug 13). Comment on Halgerda dalanghita from the Solomon Islands by Barbara Hanchard. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/21783

Halgerda dalanghita? from Japan

March 11, 2002
From: Nishina Masayoshi

Dear Bill,
I think Halgerda dalanghita on your site and this animal are similar. They were feeding on the yellow sponge I have photographd them on.

I hope you can recognize that there are two animals in the lower left image.

Date: 3 March, 2002
Location: Hachijo Island Japan
Depth: 6m
Length: 40mm

Best Regards,
Nishina Masayoshi
http://umiushi.zive.net/index.html

nishina@wips.co.jp

Masayoshi, N., 2002 (Mar 11) Halgerda dalanghita? from Japan. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/6378

Dear Nishina,
Thnaks for these photos which give us a bit more information on the species. I have included an enlargement (lower right) of the second animal in your photo so we can see it more clearly.
Cheers,
Bill Rudman

Halgerda dalanghita from Japan

January 10, 2002
From: Rie Nakano


Dear Dr.Rudman,
This Halgerda dalanghita was found by Mr.H Kojima in Hachijo Is, Japan, in December,2001.
This species is very rare in Hachijo Is.

Length: 20mm
Depth:6m
On the rocky reef.

Rie Nakano

rie@divers.ne.jp

Nakano, R., 2002 (Jan 10) Halgerda dalanghita from Japan. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/5901

Dear Rie,
Thanks for this interesting find. This specimen has a much bolder colour pattern than those in Atsushi Ono's earlier photo from Kerama Island.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2002 (Jan 10). Comment on Halgerda dalanghita from Japan by Rie Nakano. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/5901

Three? species of Halgerda from Kerama Island

March 16, 2000
From: Atsushi Ono

Dear Bill
Thank you for ID of Goniodoris glabra.

I have attached some Halgerda species.
The UPPER one is probably H. dalanghita.
I found them underside of a dead coral
at 10m depth, Kerama Is. near Okinawa.
The bigger animal is 30mm long. This species is very rare, I have seen only these two individuals here.

LOWER LEFT is probably H. diaphana.
This size is about 40mm long. I found this at 20m depth crawling a rock, Kerama Is. near Okinawa. This is common species here in winter to early summer. I have seen over 30 individuals,

LOWER RIGHT is probably a juvenile of H. diaphana. This is about 5mm long, found at 7m depth underside of a dead coral.
A juvenile is very rare... I have seen only this one.

Could you check these photos?

Sincerely,
Atsushi Ono

ononini@cosmos.ne.jp

Ono, A., 2000 (Mar 16) Three? species of Halgerda from Kerama Island. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/2094

Dear Atsushi,
I think you are correct with your identifications of H. dalanghita and the larger H. diaphana. I am not however sure of the third juvenile specimen.
Could it possibly be H. guahan?. I don't know if that species has any sign of orange at the mantle edge, and I don't know if the black spots on the gills and rhinophores are proportionally larger in juveniles. Fortunately Clay Carlson & Patty Jo Hoff, who described that species will set me straight if I am wrong.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman.

[Note added March 19, 2000: See carlson & Hoff message identifying juvenile as H. diaphana.]

Rudman, W.B., 2000 (Mar 16). Comment on Three? species of Halgerda from Kerama Island by Atsushi Ono. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/2094