Euselenops luniceps - Camp Cove Beach Sydney

July 18, 2006
From: Gary Carter


For my wife's birthday the family ventured to Doyles at Watson's Bay. After that we walked out to the South Head of Sydney Harbour and strolled along Camp Cove beach - the beach where Captain Arthur Phillip first set ashore in 1788.

We found Euselenops luniceps in the wave wash up on the beach, After photographing we eased him back past the surf break. I had no idea that there were so many of these sea slugs. He/she could see us and reared and rocked its head back and forth seemingly trying to open its mouth - reminded me of how a frilled neck lizard responds to a challenge

Locality: Camp Cove beach Sydney Harbour, on beach in wave wash, New South Wales, Australia, Pacific, 12 July 2006, inner harbour beach just above the outgoing tide mark. Length: 70 mm. Photographer: Gary Carter.

Gary Carter

cartergs@bigpond.net.au

Carter, G.J., 2006 (Jul 18) Euselenops luniceps - Camp Cove Beach Sydney. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/17168

Dear Gary,
It's always a bit sad seeing marine animals washed up like this, out of their element.  Your animal is both he and she - all sea slugs being hermaphrodite. It certainly appears to be rearing up in your photos, but the black eye-like spots are just pigment patches on its tentacles, not eyes. The eyes are very small, and can't form images, so the best they can do for 'sight' is sense shadows passing over them. That may be the case here, but I suspect the 'rearing up' is just a result of the foot muscle contracting - like fish out of water, they make some strange movements when stranded on the sand like this.

If you haven't already, have a look at the Fact Sheet on this species and the attached messages, some of which have fascinating photos of it swimming.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2006 (Jul 18). Comment on Euselenops luniceps - Camp Cove Beach Sydney by Gary Carter. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/17168

Factsheet

Euselenops luniceps

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