Halgerda dichromis? from South Africa
November 19, 1999
From: Valda Fraser
Dear Bill
Thank you for your reply. You are right in saying that the specimen is not Halgerda formosa which is very common in our area. I am afraid that my identification of Halgerda formosa is not correct. Please confirm that the photo which I am attaching is Halgerda formosa because it seems to be very different in colouration and body texture from the image of Halgerda toliara.
Locality: South Coast KwaZulu-Natal, SOUTH AFRICA. Near Port Shepstone. Rocky reef - 20m., October 1999. Size: 50mm
Regards
Valda Fraser
iti04937@mweb.co.za
Fraser, V., 1999 (Nov 19) Halgerda dichromis? from South Africa. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/1541Dear Valda,
The plot thickens! This photo is not H. formosa and certainly not H. toliara. It looks something like a badly striped Halgerda willeyi but I think the most likely identification is another new species described by Fahey & Gosliner, Halgerda dichromis. It is the animal figured in Gosliner, 1987 p.69 [no.89] and misidentified as H. formosa. Your photo differs in having much shorter black lines than in Gosliner's photo but as they had only one specimen, it will need more specimens to be sure just how variable the colour pattern of the species is. You say this is common in your area. Perhaps you could send some more photos showing the range of any colour variation.
I would welcome any thoughts from Shireen Fahey & Terry Gosliner.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman.
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