Kaloplocamus ramosus from Malta

November 3, 1999
From: Constantine Mifsud


Seeing Grey McNeil's message on Kaloplocamus ramosus from Australia, I am posting a couple of photos of a specimen of Kaloplocamus ramosus which I have recently dredged from 60-80m in a sand-maerl substrate off western Malta, in the Mediterranean. Is it possible that this species has such a wide distribution?

Constantine Mifsud

kejdon@orbit.net.mt

Mifsud, C., 1999 (Nov 3) Kaloplocamus ramosus from Malta. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/1478

Dear Constantine,
It is unlikely that Kaloplocamus would have such a natural distribution, but as it feeds on fouling bryozoans, it could have been assisted in its travels by ship traffic, much as other polycerids such as Thecacera pennigera and Polycera hedgpethi, seem to have done.

From published drawings, Mediterranean specimens have a very similar radular morphology to animals from Australia, but if you could send me a few specimens I would very much like to take Scanning Electron Microscope photos to post on the Forum and compare with ones I have of Australian animals.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman.

Rudman, W.B., 1999 (Nov 3). Comment on Kaloplocamus ramosus from Malta by Constantine Mifsud. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/1478

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Kaloplocamus ramosus

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