Noumea flava
(Eliot, 1904)
Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DORIDINA
Superfamily: EUDORIDOIDEA
Family: Chromodorididae
DISTRIBUTION
Originally described from East Africa but has an Indo-West Pacific distribution.
PHOTO
Solitary Is., Coffs Harbour region, northern New South Wales. November 1989. PHOTOS: Bill Rudman.
RELATED TOPIC
Grows to about 15mm long. The whole of the animal, including the gills and the rhinophores, is bright yellow. There is a thin bright red or orange-red line right at the edge of the mantle. This line widens at fairly regular intervals to give a pattern of spaced semi-circular spots around the mantle edge. The mantle is ovate with a semi-permanent fold about mid-way along each side giving the animal the appearance of having a thin 'waist'. The body is relatively high and the mantle overlap is relatively narrow. The gills are simple and arranged in a circle around the anus. There are a few large ovate opaque mantle glands arranged in a submarginal band.
Reference:
• Rudman, W.B. (1986) The Chromodorididae (Opisthobranchia: Mollusca) of the Indo-West Pacific: Noumea flava colour group. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 88: 377-404.
Rudman, W.B., 2000 (May 21) Noumea flava (Eliot, 1904). [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/noumflav
Related messages
Noumea flava from Red Sea
March 21, 2008
From: Mark Mcallister
Can you id this for me if possible, i have looked through my books but cannot find a match and have not seen it since, the size is approximate,
Locality: Sharks bay, Sharm el Sheikh, 15 meters, Egypt, Red Sea, 02 May 2007, sandy close to fringe reef. Length: 10 - 15 mm. Photographer: mark mcallister.
Mark Mcallister
mark2909@hotmail.co.uk
Mcallister, M.R., 2008 (Mar 21) Noumea flava from Red Sea. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/21083Dear Mark,
This is Noumea flava. There are a number of similarly coloured species [see N. flava colour group] but this is the only one with the thin red border.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Noumea flava from the Andaman Sea
July 26, 2006
From: Marcia Fisk Ong
I believe I may have spotted a Noumea flava in an area you haven't had a reported sighting. Oddly, though, this individual seems to have a green spot on its body, whereas the description indicates an all yellow appearance. The animal was very small, and I was without my macro lens, so detail is a bit difficult to pick up.
Locality: Shark Point, 15 m, Phuket, Thailand, Indian Ocean, Andaman Sea, 18 July 2006, reef wall crevice. Length: 20 - 25 mm. Photographer: Marcia Fisk Ong.
Marcia Fisk Ong
dive.with.marcia@gmail.com
Fisk Ong, M., 2006 (Jul 26) Noumea flava from the Andaman Sea. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/17205Dear Marcia,
Yes this Noumea flava. Concerning the green spot you mention. Many of these animals, especially when small, have an almost transparent skin and body wall, which means the colours of the internal organs can show through. In dorids, much of the body cavity is filled with a dark coloured digestive gland, often partly covered in a lighter covered gonad [= ovary & testis]. I think that in your animal the greenish spot is part of the digestive gland showing through the skin, the rest of it being obscured by the cream coloured ovotestis.
I certainly don't know of a record of this species from Thailand, but it seems to be widespread through both the tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Noumea flava from the Red Sea
May 24, 2005
From: Oren Lederman
Hi Bill,
Is this a Noumea flava?
Locality: The reservation, Eilat, Israel. Red Sea. Depth: ~25 m. Length: ~1-1.5 cm. 13 May 2005. coral reef. Photographer: Oren Lederman
Oren Lederman
lederman@bigmail.co.il
Lederman, O., 2005 (May 24) Noumea flava from the Red Sea. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/13837
Dear Oren,
Yes this isNoumea flava. Although there are other small yellow chromodorids [see N. flava group Fact Sheet] , none of them come close to this colour pattern and 'hour glass' shape of the mantle.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Noumea flava from the Solomon Ids
April 20, 2005
From: Bruce Potter
Dear Bill,
This little Noumea flava was a really pretty find just before I left Solomon Islands. It was very tiny at about 4 or 5mm. It was at about 7 meters depth on a coral and rubble site on the outskirts of Honiara.
Locality: Honiara, Solomon Islands. Pacific Ocean. Depth: 7 meters. Length: 5 mm. 10 January 2005. Coral Rubble Sand. Photographer: Bruce Potter
Regards
Bruce.
bandppotter@bigpond.com.au
Potter, B., 2005 (Apr 20) Noumea flava from the Solomon Ids. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/13527Thanks Bruce,
Bill Rudman
Noumea flava found on Sunshine Coast
February 3, 2004
From: Gary Cobb
Hi Bill!
While diving off the Sunshine Coast, off Mooloolaba, Queensland, Australia at a site called Fairyland we found two Noumea flava. Length 15mm, Depth 15m.
Is there a reason the centre of their mantle id hour glass shaped?
Cheers
Gary Cobb
gary@cobb.com.au
Cobb, G., 2004 (Feb 3) Noumea flava found on Sunshine Coast. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/12091Dear Gary,
Nice to see photos of this not very common species. Concerning the shape of the mantle. Quite a few species of Noumea and some species of Thorunna have this hour-glass shape, but I don't know of any reason for it.
Cheers
Bill Rudman
Noumea flava from the Philippines
May 28, 2003
From: Fredy Brauchli
Dear Bill,
Back home from the Philippines and again fascinated by the tiny creatures you can find there, I'm happy to send you a record of Noumea flava from the northern Philippine region (Occ. Mindoro).
This picture was taken at Pandan Island. Size: ca. 6-7mm, depth: 10m, place: Canyons, date: April 24th, 2003.
Kind regards from Switzerland,
Fredy
brauchli@subaqua.ch
Brauchli, F., 2003 (May 28) Noumea flava from the Philippines. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/10056Thanks Fredy,
It's only a short time ago that we thought this was a western Indian Ocean species, so it's good to have another Pacific record.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Noumea flava from the Marshalls
June 16, 2001
From: Scott Johnson
Hi Bill,
To accompany the photos of Noumea crocea, here is the other yellow species from the Marshalls. The single individual of Noumea flava I found in the Marshalls was at Enewetak Atoll, under a rock at a depth of about 5 meters on a lagoonside reef, in the same area where N. crocea could often be seen.
Scott
johnson@kmr.ll.mit.edu
Johnson, S., 2001 (Jun 16) Noumea flava from the Marshalls. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/4600Thanks Scott
Bill Rudman
Noumea flava from Papua New Guinea
May 23, 2000
From: Stuart Hutchison
Dear Bill,
Here's another one I cannot seem to find in any of my books. Found on the same wreck as Noumea crocea at 12m (Lion Island, Papua New Guinea) and about 7mm long.
Stuart Hutchison
hutchco@tpg.com.au
Hutchison, S., 2000 (May 23) Noumea flava from Papua New Guinea. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/2394Dear Stuart,
This is a nice photo of another of the yellow chromodorids. It is Noumea flava which is known from East Africa across to the western Pacific.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman.
