Polycera chilluna from North Carolina

Dear Sandy,
I often say to Forum participants that their message contains 'an interesting find', but these photos beat most of them! I have checked the species described from the east coast of North America, and there is a species of Polycera, Polycera chilluna Marcus, 1961, which was described from North Carolina, and is almost certainly the same species. Of greater interest is that I am sure it is also identical to the species known only from the eastern Atlantic, Polycera aurantiomarginata [Records exist from West Africa - Angola, Senegal - north to Spain and the western end of the Mediterranean. If my identification is correct, then the earliest name for this species, which we now know is found on both sides of the warm water Atlantic, is P. chilluna. I would appreciate a date to add to the locality information you have sent, and some indication of its length.

The plant-like growth it is on is a hydroid colony. These animals are bryozoan feeders so its crawling on a hydroid colony is not biologically significant. It would be good to know more about this species in Nth America, so if you come across further specimens it would be good to see further photos, and possibly egg masses, so we get a fuller idea of colour variation on your side of the Atlantic.

I have discussed the identity of P. chilluna more fully in a separate message.