Re: Are Aegires punctilucens and A. exeches the same?

September 29, 2009
From: David Kipling


Concerning message #14248:

Dear Bill,

In response to your request for some pictures of Atlantic specimens of Aegires punctilucens please find enclosed some photographs of a specimen taken in the UK a couple of months ago.

The bright blue background to two of the pictures is my wetsuit glove. The animal was then released back onto it original turf, giving the third photograph. It may have been a bit "stressed" by this man-handling, but seem to be pretty active afterwards and crawled away at some speed.

Locality: Castlemartin, Pembrokeshire, 51o 36.101 N 004o 57.720W, 10 m, United Kingdom, Atlantic, 21 June 2009, Limestone bedrock covered with red weed, hydroids, and dense ascidian turf. Photographer: David Kipling.

I have included photographs where the focal plane is both centred on the rhinophores, and on the gills. I hope these photos are of some help.

Best regards

David Kipling,
Cardiff UK

plankton@dircon.co.uk

Kipling, D., 2009 (Sep 29) Re: Are Aegires punctilucens and A. exeches the same?. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/22608

Dear David,
Thanks for these photos of an animal from the UK. The colour pattern is remarkably similar to the photo of a Japanese specimen I have on the species' Fact Sheet.

This only reinforces my feeling that A. exeches is an unnecessary name for animals from the Indo-West Pacific. I guess this is another species which now has a circumglobal distribution courtesy of the worldwide shipping. It will be interesting to see if DNA technology will be able to determine whether this is an Atlantic species which has hitched a ride to the Indo-West Pacific or vice versa.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2009 (Sep 29). Comment on Re: Are Aegires punctilucens and A. exeches the same? by David Kipling. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/22608

Factsheet

Aegires punctilucens

Related messages

  1. Aegires punctilucens from Norway
    From: Bill Rudman, July 18, 2005
  2. Aegires exeches is a distinct species
    From: S. Fahey & T. Gosliner, July 13, 2005
  3. Aegires punctilucens from Sydney
    From: Bill Rudman, July 12, 2005
  4. Aegires punctilucens- original illustrations
    From: Bill Rudman, July 12, 2005
  5. Aegires punctilucens - Alder & Hancock's illustrations
    From: Bill Rudman, July 12, 2005
  6. Are Aegires punctilucens and A. exeches different?
    From: Bill Rudman, July 12, 2005
  7. Aegires punctilucens from Japan (2)
    From: Jun Imamoto, January 29, 2003
  8. Radula of Aegires punctilucens from Australia
    From: Bill Rudman, January 28, 2003
  9. Aegires punctilucens from eastern Australia
    From: Bill Rudman, January 28, 2003
  10. Aegires punctilucens from Hong Kong
    From: Bill Rudman, January 28, 2003
  11. Aegires punctilucens from Japan
    From: Jun Imamoto, January 28, 2003

Show factsheet and all related messages