Juvenile aeolid from Hachijo Is., Japan

July 12, 2001
From: Nishina Masayoshi


Dear Dr.Rudman,
Here is another of the small animals that my friend Mr.Jun Imamoto found and photographed on our recent visit [July 2001] to Hachijo Island, Izu-Islands, about 300 k south of Tokyo, Japan. They were found at 6-7M depth and were all around 5mm, long.

It is perhaps a kind of Aplysiopsis or Stiliger?

Best Regards,
Nishina Masayoshi

nishina@hpe15.wips.co.jp

Nishina, M., 2001 (Jul 12) Juvenile aeolid from Hachijo Is., Japan. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/4743

Dear Nishina,
I am pretty sure this is a very small juvenile of the aeolid Facelina quadrilineata. The shape of the rhinophores is much more nudibranch than a sacoglossan. In this animal they are proportionally much larger than in adults, but it is quite normal for juveniles to have large rhinophores. I guess if you have to smell your food from some distance then the larger your rhinophores the better your chance of not starving. Although I am pretty sure this is a juvenile, I can't of course be certain of its identity. However the arrangement of the cerata is quite facelinid and the colour pattern fits that of F. quadrilineata very well.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2001 (Jul 12). Comment on Juvenile aeolid from Hachijo Is., Japan by Nishina Masayoshi. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/4743

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