Cuthona fulgens? from California

September 29, 2005
From: Dr. Steve Lonhart

Hello,
On September 15, 2005 I was diving in Point Lobos State Reserve, California, USA. I photographed a hydroid (possibly Sertularella turgida) and after downloading the images noticed slugs laying egg cases.

Locality: Point Lobos State Reserve, California, USA. Depth: 60 ft. Length: 'A few mm'. 15 September 2005. Subtidal rocky reef. Photographer: Steve Lonhart

I've clipped the original photo in the hopes that you can ID the slug in question. Is it Cuthona fulgens? Depth was about 60 ft on a steep rocky reef, high water flow, and tremendous invertebrate cover.
Thanks!
Steve

lonhart@biology.ucsc.edu

Lonhart, S.I., 2005 (Sep 29) Cuthona fulgens? from California. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/14852

Dear Steve,
I would look forward to some confirmation from local experts, but I think this is probably Cuthona lagunae. I don't have a photo of C. fulgens  on the Forum (contributions welcome!) but the most obvious difference is that C. lagunae has orange rhinophores and C. fulgens has white. In the inset I put in your photo, the rhinophores appear to be orange. Perhaps you could check that from your originals.

Also Jeff Goddard [message #2697] reports that C. lagunae feeds exclusively on Sertularella turgida, which fits with your hydroid identification. The only feeding record for C. fulgens is the hydroid Sarsia sp. (see Goddard, 1985).

  • Goddard, J. H. R. 1985b. Food habits of some nudibranchs from Cape Arago, Oregon. Western Society of Malacologists Annual Report, 17: 9-10.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2005 (Sep 29). Comment on Cuthona fulgens? from California by Dr. Steve Lonhart. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/14852

Factsheet

Cuthona lagunae

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