Chelidonura in Atlantic

May 28, 2001
From: Ray

There is is picture of Chelidonura hirundinina in Paul Humann's Reef Creature ID book. Yet on this site you give its distribution as only the West Pacific. Does this species occur in the W. Atlantic?

It has a different coloration than the one pictured here. It has orange, black and blue stripes with a white patch on the mid back. Is this C. hirundinina?
Ray

P51MustNB@aol.com

ray, 2001 (May 28) Chelidonura in Atlantic. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/4354

Dear Ray,
In general the photo has the same T-shaped mark on the headshield as Indo-West Pacific specimens of the species but Humann's photo shows an orange rather than black background and lacks the yellow lines of Indo-West Pacific animals. The Caribbean fauna has lots of interesting links to the Indo-West Pacific such as Micromelo undata and Hydatina physis so there is insurmountable problem with Chelidonura hirundinina having a circumtropical distribution. Like many of these animals there is little published information on their anatomy and colour variability. Until we know more about the Caribbean animal I would prefer to remain undecided. I you have photos of the Caribbean animal they would be a welcome addition to the Forum.

I note that Humann gives Chelidonura hirundinina the common name Leech Headshield Slug which I guess was an attempt to appease the publisher's misguided belief that we can't survive without common names, even if they are manufactured artificially for the occasion. I presume Headshield Slugs comes from the Order Cephalaspidea, but Leech is clearly an error based on Hirudo = leech rather than the Hirundo = swallow. The scientific name of Chelidonura hirundinina certainly over-emphasises the shape of the 'tail' in these animals. Chelidonura is made up of chela (as in a crab's claw) and nura = tail. Also hirundinina = little swallow, which is another reference to the tail, so reminiscent of the bird's.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2001 (May 28). Comment on Chelidonura in Atlantic by Ray. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/4354

Factsheet

Chelidonura hirundinina

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