Armina abbotti
Thompson, Cattaneo & Wong (1990)

Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: ARMININA
Family: Arminidae

DISTRIBUTION

South Carolina, Florida - probably wider Caribbean distribution

PHOTO

Apalachicola Bay, northwestern Florida. Photo: Kelly Hooper.

This is apparently a fairly common nudibranch in soft-bottom subtidal environments in the southeastern USA. It has usually been identified as the Mediterranean species Armina tigrina, but Thompson et al (1990) while reviewing Mediterranean arminids, named it Armina abbotti after Tucker Abbott who published an early account of its biology. A much fuller account of its anatomy and biology was later published by Eyster (1981).

It has a dark reddish brown to black background colour. There mantle has many longitudinal ridges which are edged with white or yellow. The rhinophores are black with white tips and the oral veil, foot and mantle are all edged with white or pale yellow. It is similar to Armina juliana but
according to Ardila & Diaz (2002) it differs in tooth shape and number of mantle ridges. It lives in sandy subtidal areas and feeds on the pennatulacean Sea Pansy Renilla reniformis Pallas. It grows to more than 5cm long.

References:
• Abbott, R.T. (1954) The habits and occurrence of the nudibranch Armina tigrina in southeast United States. The Nautilus, 67(3): 83-86
• Ardila, N. E. & Díaz, J.M. (2002) Armina juliana (Gastropoda: Nudibranchia: Arminidae), a new species from the southern Caribbean. Bol. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras, 31: 25-31.
• Bertsch, H (1968) Effect of feeding by Armina californica on the bioluminescence of Renilla koellikeri. The Veliger, 10(4): 440-441.
• Eyster, L.S. (1981) Observations on the growth, reproduction and feeding of the nudibranch Armina tigrina. J. Moll. Stud., 47: 171-181.
• Thompson, T.E., Cattaneo, R. & Wong, Y.M. (1990) Eastern Mediterranean opisthobranchia: Dotidae (Dendronotoidea), Arminidae and Madrellidae (Arminoidea). J. Moll. Stud., 56: 393-413.

Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 2004 (March 8) Armina abbotti Thompson, Cattaneo & Wong (1990). [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/armiabbo

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