Armina loveni
(Bergh, 1860)

Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: ARMININA
Family: Arminidae

DISTRIBUTION

North eastern Atantic from southern Norway to the Atlantic coast of France, including the British Isles.

PHOTO

En Ceann Feidh, Loch Nan Uamh near Arisaig on the west coast of Scotland. April, 2001. Found crawling across the silt covered sloping rock surface at 24 metres, a 36mm long individual. PHOTO: Jim Anderson.

There are few records of this distinctive nudibranch probably because it burrows into soft sediments. It can reach 40 mm in length. The mantle is a reddish colour, with up to 50 prominent white longitudinal irregularly wavy ridges. In places the ridges can be replaced by a row of pustules. The mantle rim contains numerous large defensive glands (brown in preserved animals). According to Thompson (1988)Armina loveni is always found in mud, in sheltered localities, among beds of the pennatulacean cnidarian Virgularia mirabilis, on which it feeds. See photo on Bernard Picton's nudibranch site showing Armina feeding [http://www.pictonb.freeserve.co.uk/nudibranchs/armlov.html]. Subtidal species to 75 m depth.

Reference:
• Thompson, T.E. (1988) Molluscs: Benthic Opisthobranchs (Mollusca: Gastropoda). Synopses of the British Fauna (New Series). No. 8. 2nd Edition. E.J.Brill/W. Backhuys: Leiden. 1-356.

Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 2001 (December 3) Armina loveni (Bergh, 1860). [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/armilove

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