Favorinus auritulus from Florida
May 26, 2009
From: Linda Ianniello
Concerning message #8060:
Dr. Bill, here is a recent find that I believe is a Favorinus auritulus, even though it doesn't look like the existing ones on the forum.
Locality: Lake Worth Lagoon, 20 feed, Florida, USA, Atlantic Ocean, 10 May 2009, Tidal. Length: less than .5 inch. Photographer: Linda Ianniello.
Linda Ianniello
lindai1@bellsouth.net
Ianniello, L.M., 2009 (May 26) Favorinus auritulus from Florida. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/22476Dear Linda,
Thanks for these nice photos of 'typical' F. auritulus. This form with the btoom part of the rhinophores being brown and with one or two swellings certainly shows its similarity to the European F. branchialis and the west African F. ghanensis. As I note on the F. ghanensis Fact Sheet the relationship between these three species is still unresolved. Interestingly your animal has one completely brown rhinophore with a single swelling and a second rhinophore with two swellings, one white the other brown. In some discussions, the number of rhinophoral swellings has been considered an important character in defining species. Your photo suggests such ideas need to be treated with caution.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Related messages
-
Re: Favorinus auritulus from Florida
From: Linda Ianniello, June 2, 2010 -
Re: Caribbean Favorinus
From: Jun Imamoto, October 2, 2002 -
Re: Caribbean Favorinus
From: Jun Imamoto, September 29, 2002 -
Caribbean Favorinus
From: Dave Behrens, September 28, 2002