Sakuraeolis kirembosa from the Gulf of Oman

February 27, 2007
From: Dragan Petkovic

Dear, dr. Bill,
Please find the pictures from today's dive attached. Looks like Flabellina, but could not find it anywhere. Could you please help?

Locality: Khor Fakkan , 20 m, UAE, Gulf of Oman, Indian Ocean, 25 February 2007, Sandy . Length: 30 mm. Photographer: Dragan Petkovic.

Many thanks,
Dragan Petkovic

machodiver@gmail.com

Petkovic, D., 2007 (Feb 27) Sakuraeolis kirembosa from the Gulf of Oman. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/19537

Dear Dragan,
As soon as I saw your photos it reminded me of a species I collected 30 years ago in Dar es Salaam and named Sakuraeolis kirembosa. Even the hydroid it is feeding on looks very similar to the Eudendrium my Tanzanian animal was living on. We would need to look at its anatomy to be 100% sure, but the translucent orange body, the thin blackish digestive gland ducts in the cerata, the blue patch at the tips of the cerata and the smooth rhinophores are all very similar. My photos on the species Fact Sheet are very dull and don't do this species justice - I was short of film and my flash lights weren't synchronising with my old cameras' shutter. The name kirembosa is from a Swahili word for beautiful - which your photos clearly demonstrate.

It is a nice find. As far as I know this is only the second time this animal has been reported.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2007 (Feb 27). Comment on Sakuraeolis kirembosa from the Gulf of Oman by Dragan Petkovic. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/19537

Factsheet

Sakuraeolis kirembosa