Aegires albopunctatus
Macfarland, 1905
Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DORIDINA
Superfamily: ANADORIDOIDEA
Family: Aegiridae
DISTRIBUTION
British Columbia, Canada to Baja California, Mexico.
PHOTO
Pacific Coast, Baja California North, CASIZ 118550, 20 mm, collected 3 February 1963, W. Farmer. Photo: A. Ferreira. [Pl. 1A from Fahey & Gosliner (2004) - with permission].
Body rough and firm to the touch, because of the abundant spicules in the body wall, which are typical of the genus. The body is white, sometimes with scattered brown specks or larger spots. On close examination the white body coloration consists of a translucent background colour covered in fine opaque white specks, which give the species its name. The rhinophore club is lemon yellow. Aegires albopunctatus has many tubercles, which in some specimens seem to be arranged in longitudinal rows, but in other specimens are so crowded, that no pattern can be determined. It grows to approximately 20 mm in length.
- Fahey, S. J. & Gosliner, T. M. (2004) A Phylogenetic Analysis of the Aegiridae Fischer, 1883 (Mollusca, Nudibranchia, Phanerobranchia) with Descriptions of Eight New Species and a Reassessment of Phanerobranch Relationships. Proceedings of the CaliforniaAcademy of Sciences, 55, (34): 613–689, 82 figs., 4 tables (Appendix).
- MacFarland, F.M. (1905). A preliminary account of the Dorididae of the Monterey Bay, California. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, 18: 35-54
- MacFarland, F.M. (1906) Opisthobranchiate Mollusca from Monterey Bay, California, and vicinity. Bulletin of the United States Bureau of Fisheries, 25: 109–151, pls. 18–31.
- MacFarland, F.M. (1966) Studies of Opisthobranchiate Molllusks of the Pacific Coast of North America. Memoirs of the California Academy of Sciences, 6:1–546.
Rudman, W.B., 2005 (July 6) Aegires albopunctatus Macfarland, 1905. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/aegialbo
