Re: Cyerce elegans

July 2, 1999
From: Cory Pittman

Dear Bill,

At different times in fall, 1997, I wound up holding a couple of large Cyerce elegans for several (6-10?) days under aeration in a covered container that insured almost complete darkness. They were collected at depths of 11 to 20 m from Halimeda opuntia beds on Maui, Hawaii. When they were collected, they were nearly transparent, i. e., comparable to your top photos. However, while held, they gradually developed an extensive frosting of minute, brown flecks becoming nearly opaque by the time I passed them on to Pauline or preserved them. From memory, I would guess that they became about 1/2 to 2/3 as dark as the photos in Erwin Koehler's message. Of course, I don't know whether they were responding to low light, lack of food, temperature differences or whatever.

Best wishes,

Cory

cory@cet.cet.com

Thanks Cory,
Although it doesn't 'prove' the two are one species it's a useful bit of supporting information.

Was it just chance that you kept them in a covered container or were you wondering if they might have some plastid symbiosis? I always try to keep potential algal symbionts in the dark for a few days to see what might happen - usually with little result. Most Cyerce species looks just right for plastid symbiosis, with large flattened 'cerata' like the photosynthetic Phyllodesmium longicirrum, but in Cyerce the digestive gland doesn't extend into the flattened part of the cerata and there is no evidence of palstid symbiosis. However Caliphylla mediterranea, like species of Polybranchia, has branches of the digestive gland in the cerata and has functional plastid symbiosis.

It was interesting that you mentioned finding them in Halimeda opuntia beds as Ortea & Templado (1990) suggest that Halimeda opuntia is the possible food of Cyerce verdensis (Cape Verde Islands) and Cyerce habanensis (Caribbean).

Ortea, J. & Templado, T. (1990) A new species of the genus Cyerce Bergh, 1871, from the Cape Verde Islands (Opisthobranchia: Ascoglossa). The Veliger, 33(2): 202-205.

Bill Rudman.

Rudman, W.B., 1999 (Jul 2). Comment on Re: Cyerce elegans by Cory Pittman. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/1008

Factsheet

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