Elysia from the Azores
April 5, 2010
From: Sérgio Ávila
Dear Bill:
A PhD student (Ricardo Cordeiro) collected in the intertidal a lot of juveniles of what appear to me to be Aplysia specimens. However, I am not an expert in Opisthobranchs and, apparently, they do not fit on the descriptions of the species reported to the Azores:
- Aplysia parvula Guilding in Mörch, 1863
- Aplysia depilans Gmelin 1791
- Aplysia fasciata Poiret, 1798
- Aplysia punctata Cuvier, 1803
Locality: Caloura beach, São Miguel Island, Azores archipelago, Azores, Northeast Atlantic, 31 March 2010, Intertidal, in algae. Length: 3mm. Photographer: Sérgio Ávila.
Thanks!
Sérgio Ávila
Research Associate
Department of Biology
University of the Azores
Portugal
www.uac.pt/~fosseis
avila@notes.uac.pt
Ávila, S.P., 2010 (Apr 5) Elysia from the Azores. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/23436Dear Sérgio,
I think this is Elysia viridis which has been reported from the Azores. There is a somewhat similar species also reported from the Azores, E. gordanae but it lacks the large blue spots.
I woud appreciate some advice from local experts as Malaquias et al say Elysia gordanae can be differentiated from E. viridis "by the presence of a pinkish-white coloration that covers the edge of the parapodia, rhinophores, head and mid-dorsal region of body" but I thought E. viridis often had pinkish colouration as well?
It would be good to know if the large blue spots, when present, are indicative of E. viridis, or are they also found in E. gordanae?
- Malaquias, M.A., Calado, G.P., Padula, V., Villani, G., Cervera, J.L. 2009. Molluscan diversity in the North Atlantic Ocean: new records of opisthobranch gastropods from the Archipelago of the Azores. Marine Biodiversity Records, . Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. 2; e38 :1-9. Published online
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
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