Facelina auriculata from Ireland

May 2, 2006
From: Jamie Malone .

Here's a couple of nudibranch pictures I took on a dive in Waterford , Ireland yesterday

Locality: Ballymacaw, 4 meters, Waterford, Iireland, Celtic sea , 30 april 2006, high tide vis 2-3 meters. Length: 20 / 30 mm. Photographer: Jamie Malone .

Jamie Malone

malonejamie@hotmail.com

Malone, J., 2006 (May 2) Facelina auriculata from Ireland. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/16497

Dear Jamie,
It's a pity that the beauty of some of these small nudibranchs can only be seen with a microscope or macro lens on a camera. This aeolid,Facelina auriculata . It is crawling on one of its favourite food items, the hydroid Tubularia indivisa. These flower-like animals have stinging cells (nematocysts) in the ring of tentacles around their mouth for catching their prey. They also use them to ward off attackers, like the aeolids. However when their defenses fail and they are eaten by the aeolids, the nudibranchs store the stinging cells in their own bodies for reuse. Have a look at the cnidosac Fact Sheet for some background information.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2006 (May 2). Comment on Facelina auriculata from Ireland by Jamie Malone .. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/16497

Factsheet

Facelina auriculata

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