Is this is a heteropod?

January 30, 2002
From: Judy Judd

Hi,
I have been trying to ID this animal for a while. On one forum I was told that it was a heteropod, but while doing some research on my own, I'm not so sure.

I believe the animal is a gastropod. I saw it and took its picture on the West coast of Costa Rica. It was about six to seven inches long. I will be so grateful if this can be identified. By the way, it appears white in the picture but it appeared light pink in the water. This animal was in the first 10 feet of the water column and the bottom was at 60 feet. It was in a bay, not in the open ocean.

Thanks,
Judy Judd

judyjudd@earthlink.net

Judd, J., 2002 (Jan 30) Is this is a heteropod?. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/6100

Dear Judy,
I'm afraid its a bit hard to know what you have from a single photo. Is the animal photographed in the sea or in a dish? Is it alive or preserved?

It could be a gynosomatous pteropod, but you say it was 6-7 inches long [approx 15cm], and the longest pteropods only reach about 8cm in length. It could be a heteropod as at least one species, Carinaria cristata, grows to about 50cm, three times the length of your animal. However I can see no sign of a shell, or for that matter any recognisable shape, which would give me some clues to what you have found. Perhaps someone will recognise it for us, or perhaps you have other photos?
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2002 (Jan 30). Comment on Is this is a heteropod? by Judy Judd. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/6100

Factsheet

Pteropods

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