Volvatella sp. 1.
Order: SACOGLOSSA
Superfamily: OXYNOOIDEA
Family: Volvatellidae
DISTRIBUTION
Known only from northeastern South Africa
PHOTO
Locality: Sodwana Bay, 20 metres, South Africa, Indian Ocean, 16 September 2007, reef. Length: 6 mm. Photographer: Colin Ogden.
The brownish spots scattered over the shell, are I suspect colourless spots on the white mantle which lines the inside of the transparent shell. I don't know of a described species with that colour pattern.
Authorship detailsRudman, W.B., 2008 (October 17) Volvatella sp. 1. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/volvsp1
Related messages
Re: Volvatella from South Africa
October 21, 2008
From: Kathe R. Jensen
Concerning message #20739:
Dear Bill and Colin,
Sorry I cannot put a name on this species. However, it seems to be the same as the unidentified Volvatella sp. that I collected in Singapore in 2006. It was very small, so I don't have a good picture - except some that were not taken by me but by a lab-assistant at the Marine Lab. The only difference is that the posterior shell spout is shorter in the Singapore specimen, but this is probably due to smaller size. I only got one specimen so I decided not to make a description. Singapore is somewhere I expect I can go back to at some point and hopefully collect more specimens. It is good to know that it occurs elsewhere as well.
Best wishes,
Kathe
krjensen@snm.ku.dk
Jensen, K.R., 2008 (Oct 21) Re: Volvatella from South Africa. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/21977Thanks Kathe,
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Volvatella from South Africa
October 17, 2008
From: Colin Ogden
Dear Bill,
I found this little creature last year. At first I thought it was a nudi, because he had this growth of something on his back just where his gills would be, but on downloading it, I think it is a Volvatella, a genus I have never seen before.
Locality: Sodwana Bay, 20 metres, South Africa, Indian, 16 September 2007, reef. Length: 6 mm. Photographer: Colin Ogden.
Please can you help me yet again.
regards
Colin
scubaco@iafrica.com
Ogden C M, 2008 (Oct 17) Volvatella from South Africa. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/20739
Dear Colin,
This is indeed a species of Volvatella, but not one I recognise. The brownish spots scattered over the shell, are I suspect colourless spots on the white mantle which lines the inside of the transparent shell. I don't know of a described species with that colour pattern. Perhaps Kathe Jensen has an idea?
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
