Are these Halgerda formosa?

March 4, 2006
From: Pasquale Pascullo


I thought these were Halgerda formosa but I know have my doubts. One has many more spots than the other. .

Locality: Pemba Islands, 12mtrs, Tanzania, East Coast Africa, Indian Ocean, Upper photo: 10 February, 2006. Lower photo: 5 February 2006. Length: 1 inch. Photographer: Pasquale Pascullo.

Your thoughts Bill?
As always, thanks for your time and sharing.
Pasquale Pascullo
www.ppfotos.com

pp@ppfotos.com

Pascullo, P., 2006 (Mar 4) Are these Halgerda formosa? . [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/16004

Dear Pat,
Have a look at my comments [message #15243] on animals from nearby Zanzibar. I suspect these are colour forms of Halgerda wasinensis. You'll see the blackish tinge through the body wall. That is from a thin fibrous layer over the viscera, which is black. Not all species have this balck layer, but H. wasinensis certainly does. In H. formosa, there are usually thin parallel yellow lines [ridges] on the  mantle, while in H. wasinesis the yellow lines form an angular network. I may be wrong but by combining the very dark typical forms of H. wasinensis with these light animals of yours, we finally seem to make sense of a range of problematic colour patterns found in the western Indian Ocean.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2006 (Mar 4). Comment on Are these Halgerda formosa? by Pasquale Pascullo. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/16004

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