Polycera faeroensis from Northern Ireland

February 8, 2001
From: Bernard Picton


Hi Bill,
Alma Sanchez' record of Polycera faeroensis from the Straits of Gibraltar is the most southerly one I know of but I see it has been found in the Mediterranean before [Erwin Koehler's website]. Alma's pictures show the typical colour form. This is a very common (and conspicuous) species
sublittorally throughout the British Isles. I have records from Brittany, near Santander on the north coast of Spain and Galicia on the NW coast (where cold upwellings occur and many species are in common with the British Isles).

I enclose pictures showing the spotted variety [upper photo] mentioned by Thompson and Brown and an animal with its spawn coil [lower photo]. In my experience the species is normally on Crisia species, but the bryozoan in these photographs is Caberea ellisii. Whether this is being eaten or is just a more robust substratum for egg-laying I can't say. Photographs from Rathlin Island, Northern Ireland.

Bernard

bernard.picton.um@nics.gov.uk

Picton, B., 2001 (Feb 8) Polycera faeroensis from Northern Ireland. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/3744

Thanks Bernard,
Bill Rudman

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