Re: On the Noumea purpurea Colour Group

February 26, 2009
From: N. Barbara Hanchard

Note added 27 Feb 2009: This is probably Thorunna halourga . See message #22290.

Bill,

I am tempted to place this slug in your grouping of Noumea purpurea colour grouping except for one thing. Any central striping or colouration is absent in this slug. It was very small (5 mm) and appears to be laying an egg ribbon but as you say unless you can actually see the ribbon being laid its possible that the slug is transiting over. This slug was pretty stationary though.

Locality: Leilei, Honiara, 18 meters, Solomon Islands, Pacific, 21 February 2009, sandy slope. Length: 5 mm. Photographer: N.Barbara Hanchard.

Barbara

nbhanchard@gmail.com

Hanchard, N.B., 2009 (Feb 26) Re: On the Noumea purpurea Colour Group. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/22276

Dear Barbara,

From the way the edge of the mantle is developed into lobes and the gemeral colour, I am pretty sure this is Noumea varians. It lacks any trace of white streaks down the midline, but we have a photo of an animal from Japan [message #12247] which I also suspect is N. varians. Of course, as I have said before, this Noumea purpurea group of species has caused me grief - or at least surprises - in the past, so the only sure way to identify species is to dissect them and look at their anatomy. The egg ribbon could well be this species. The light pinkish streak we can see in the close-up [middle right photo] could well be the final bit of egg material being extruded from the genital opening.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2009 (Feb 26). Comment on Re: On the Noumea purpurea Colour Group by N. Barbara Hanchard. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/22276

Factsheet

Thorunna halourga

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