Cuthona yamasui
Hamatani, 1993
Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: AEOLIDINA
Family: Tergipedidae
DISTRIBUTION
Tropical Indo-West Pacific.
PHOTO
UPPER: Wonga Beach, N. of Mossman, Queensland, Australia, January 1974. AM C94083. Photo: I. Loch.
LOWER LEFT: Broadhurst Reef, 12-15m, Townsville, Queensland, 18 Nov 1974, AM C96580. Photo: I. Loch.
LOWER RIGHT: SEM Photo of radula of Wonga Beach specimen. Photo: G. Avern.
This species seems to be quite variable in colour, in particular, the head, rhinophores and oral tentacles appear to range in colour from a translucent orange to a dark translucent blue-black. The second point of variation concerns the areas with opaque white pigementation. In some animals the translucent body wall has scattered patches of opaque white while in other specimens there is a solid colouring of white.
Hamatani's description was based on an animal from Okinawa in which the head was orange and the white pigmentation consisted of scattered, irregular shaped and sized white patches. He described it as having a ground colour which was translucent or colourless or light orange-yellow. The head, oral tentacles and rhinophores were orange red, and over the dorsal and lateral surfaces of the body behind the rhinophores there were many [irregular] opaque white patches. There was a prominent white [median] band on the head beween the rhinophores which extended anteriorly to the lower halves of the oral tentacles and laterally to the outer sides of the rhinophores. The tips of the oral tentacles and rhinophores were white. The upper portion of the cerata were tinged with reddish orange and there was a small white ring below the protruded tip of each ceras. The lower portion of the ceras was covered with clusters of opaque white dots. It was found feeding on the hydroid Aglaophenia cupressina.
The two animals illustrated here represent two extremes of the colour pattern. Other photos in messages from Erwin Koehler and Bernard Picton show other colour variations. The radular morphology illustrated here is identical to Hamatani's dscription.
Note: This species was previously named Cuthona sp. 1 on the Forum.
Reference:
• Hamatani, I (1993) A new cuthonid species (Nudibranchia, Aeolidacea), Cuthona yamasui n.sp., from Okinawa, Southwestern Japan. Venus, The Japanese Journal of Malacology, 52(2): 127-133. (Figs 1-3)
Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 2002 (March 13) Cuthona yamasui Hamatani, 1993. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/cuthyama
Related messages
-
Trinchesia yamasui from Gulf of Kachchh
From: Vinod Gajjar, April 12, 2010 -
Cuthona yamasui aggregation
From: Brian Mayes, August 19, 2009 -
Cuthona yamasui? from Indonesia
From: Linda Ianniello, August 29, 2008 -
Colour form of Cuthona yamasui
From: Mirjam Broos, February 12, 2008 -
Cuthona yamasui from the Philippines
From: Colin Teo, July 7, 2007 -
Cuthona yamasui from Queensland
From: Paul Osmond, March 21, 2007 -
Cuthona yamasui from the Andaman Sea, Thailand
From: Vie Panyarachun, March 5, 2007 -
Cuthona yamasui? from Nth Sulawesi
From: Roberto Sozzani, April 10, 2006 -
Cuthona yamasui from Oman
From: Laurence Gautier, February 8, 2006 -
Cuthona yamasui from Tioman Island
From: Asther M. Lau, March 9, 2004 -
Cuthona yamasui mating
From: Erwin Koehler, September 23, 2003 -
Cuthona yamasui from Indonesia
From: Linda Ianniello, August 26, 2003 -
Cuthona yamasui from Borneo
From: Makoto Uesugi, July 11, 2003 -
Cuthona yamasui? - colour variation
From: Nishina Masayoshi, January 2, 2003 -
Cuthona yamasui from Sumbawa Is, Indonesia
From: Walabha Sinbul, August 9, 2002 -
Cuthona yamasui from Myanmar
From: Boo Nilsson, May 28, 2002 -
Cuthona? from the Marshall Islands
From: Scott Johnson, April 12, 2002 -
Cuthona kanga? from Tanzania
From: Bernard Picton , March 15, 2002 -
Cuthona yamasui from Queensland
From: Bill Rudman, March 15, 2002 -
Re: Cuthona sp
From: Erwin Koehler, January 4, 1999 -
Cuthona kanga? from Philippines
From: Erwin Koehler, December 23, 1998