Sagaminopteron nigropunctatum from Reunion Island
May 4, 2010
From: Philibert Bidgrain
Dear Bill,
We found some specimens of this species, it looks like some photo of Sagaminopteron nigropunctatum
Locality: Etang Salé, less 1 m, Reunion Island, Indian Ocean, October 2009. Length: 15 mm. Photographer: Christophe Cadet.
What's your opinion ?
All the bests
Philibert Bidgrain
http://seaslugs.free.fr/
pbidgrain@yahoo.fr
Bidgrain, P., 2010 (May 4) Sagaminopteron nigropunctatum from Reunion Island. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/23592
Dear Philibert,
In shape and colour it certainly looks like that species. In their messages on the Forum, Carlson & Hoff note that in the western Pacific this species is usually found on species of the sponge genus Dysidea and are well camouflaged. I can't see enough detail to be sure of the identity of the sponge they are associated with in these photos, but whatever it is, the animals are well camouflaged.
Obviously without anatomical information we can't be 100% sure, but I would agree that it appears that S. nigropunctatum has a much wider distribution than previously thought. The photo with the multiple egg masses certainly reminds me of the photo on the species Fact Sheet.
I will be interested in Clay Carlson's comments.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
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Sagaminopteron nigropunctatum
From: C.J. Carlson & P.J. Hoff, August 7, 1999
