Hypselodoris capensis v H. carnea

December 11, 1999
From: Valda Fraser

Dear Bill
Gosliner (1987. Nudibranchs of Southern Africa, Sea Challengers, Monterey, California, p81) indicates that Hypselodoris capensis and H. carnea differ in radular structure. However, external differences allow differentiation "with H. capensis possessing much more pink or brownish pigment and having a discontinuous purple margin at the anterior end of the head."
This description has not enabled me to differentiate between the two species. Is the marking on the foot not at issue?
What do you make of the photos I've included?

Locality: South Coast KwaZulu-Natal, SOUTH AFRICA. Near Port Shepstone, 20 - 25m, October/November 1999.
45 = 45mm; 46 = 35mm; 47 = 55mm

Regards
Valda Fraser

iti04937@mweb.co.za

Fraser, V., 1999 (Dec 11) Hypselodoris capensis v H. carnea. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/1661

Dear Valda,
Looking at both Terry's book and the recent Hypselodoris paper I must agree that there seem to be no good colour distinctions.

I also looked at presence and absence of spots on the foot. In Terry's book H. carnea has spots on the foot and H. capensis doesn't. However my guess would be that your 45 & 47 are both H. carnea and one has foot spots and the other doesn't. I don't know if spots on the mantle behind the gills is important but your 45, 47 and Terry's H. carnea have mantle spots behind the gills and his H.capensis and your 46 do not.

Gosliner & Johnson (1999) identify the photos of H. carnea (p.235) and H. capensis (p.234) in Debelius, 1996 as H. carnea.

Hopefully Terry will take pity on us and let us know what he thinks.

Cheers,
Bill Rudman.

Reference: Gosliner, T.M. & Johnson, R.F. (1999) Phylogeny of Hypselodoris (Nudibranchia: Chromodorididae) with a review of the monophyletic clade of Indo-Pacific species, including descriptions of twelve new species. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 125: 1-114.

Rudman, W.B., 1999 (Dec 11). Comment on Hypselodoris capensis v H. carnea by Valda Fraser. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/1661

Factsheet

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