Crimora coneja from Point Loma, California

July 13, 2005
From: Jeff Goddard

Hi Bill,
Here are a couple of photos of Crimora coneja and its thinly encrusting bryozoan prey, Hincksina minuscula, from underneath an intertidal cobble at Point Loma, San Diego. This record confirms that Crimora coneja feeds on this bryozoan (its only known prey) at Point Loma.

Locality: Point Loma, San Diego, California, USA. Pacific Ocean. Intertidal. Length: 20 mm. 23 June 2005. Underside of intertidal cobble. Photographer: Jeff Goddard

I also wanted to post these images to stimulate a quest for additional locality
records for this rarely seen dorid. Although it was described by Ernst Marcus in 1961 from specimens collected at Point Loma in the late 50's, Crimora coneja has been found at only three other localities since: Cape Arago, Oregon; Punta Gorda in northern California; and subtidally at the mouth of Morro Bay in central California. The first two of these records were intertidal.

Surely someone out there has photos from additional, intermediate localities; if not, please keep your eyes peeled!
Best wishes,
Jeff

goddard@lifesci.ucsb.edu

Goddard, J.H.R., 2005 (Jul 13) Crimora coneja from Point Loma, California. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/14243

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