Trapania goslineri? from Ratnagiri, India

March 3, 2010
From: Vishal Bhave

Concerning message #3426:

Dear Bill,
I think this is Trapania goslineri. I got only single specimen in intertidal rockpool below rock.

Locality: Mandavi, Ratnagiri, , 1 feet, Maharshtra, India, Arabian sea, 26 February 2010, Intertidal rockpools with lose rocks encrusted with variety of Hydroids, bryozoans and ascideans. Length: 9 mm. Photographer: Vishal Bhave.

Vishal Bhave

vishalbhave@gmail.com

Bhave, V.J., 2010 (Mar 3) Trapania goslineri? from Ratnagiri, India. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/23291

Note added 15 March 2010: Hans Bertsch does not think this is T. goslineri. See message #23350
Note added 1 June 2010: This is probably T. toddi. see message #23677.

Dear Vishal,

It certainly looks like T. goslineri from the tropical East Pacific, and the white specks on the brown patches make it almost identical in colour to another eastern Pacific species, T. darwini from the Galapagos Ids. As you will see on that Fact Sheet, I suggest these two species may be colour forms of a single species. The only difference I can see in your animal from India is the presence of some brown on the gills and rhinophores.

There are some Indo-west Pacific species which are found in the eastern Pacific, but it is quite unusual. Before we start wondering if it is a tramp species travelling around on the bottom of boats or as larvae in ballast water, we would need to look at its radula. There is always the possibility that there are two, or three, very similarly coloured species, and the radular morphology can sometimes be a good distinguishing feature.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2010 (Mar 3). Comment on Trapania goslineri? from Ratnagiri, India by Vishal Bhave. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/23291

Factsheet

Trapania toddi

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