Okenia echinata? from Northern N.S.W.

December 23, 2004
From: Denis Riek


Hello Bill,
Congratulations on getting the Forum running again. This is great news!
Many new species turned up in the Brunswick River over winter & spring before the big flush a fortnight ago. Sakuraeolis nungunoides & Cuthona yamasui were a surprise, also about a dozen I am having trouble putting a name to.

This one appears to be very similar to Okenia echinata. Only 8 mm long, it was found in 3 metres on the main sea wall on what I think is a bryozoan I am still trying to ID.I was unable to photograph in situ due to strong current and poor visibilty

Locality: Brunswick River, Depth: 3 metres., New South Wales, Australia.
Length: 8 mm.
26 June 2004
On ?bryozoan on sea wall
Photographer: Denis Riek

Regards,
Denis.

denisriek@hotmail.com

Riek, D.W., 2004 (Dec 23) Okenia echinata? from Northern N.S.W.. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/12814

Dear Denis,
Yes I would consider this to be a colour variety of Okenia echinata. It is very similar to the one illustrated in my recent message [#12455] from New South Wales. It would certainly be interesting to get a sample of the possible bryozoan food. If you have a specimen I could arrange to have it identified. It is good to see how the Forum can generate all this new information about Okenia just in a couple of days. I look forward to hearing about some of your other finds.

Living in a land so short of water, I guess it is churlish to complain about these flushes of flood water which can so quickly destroy wonderful nudibranch populations. In Sydney Harbour it is sometimes heartbreaking to see the overnight destruction of rich nudibranch habitat as salinity drops with the sudden influx of rainwater overflow - but I guess we have to balance that against having some worthwhile rain to support the rest of our lives!

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2004 (Dec 23). Comment on Okenia echinata? from Northern N.S.W. by Denis Riek. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/12814

Factsheet

Okenia echinata

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