Unknown dorid from Helgoland, Germany

June 22, 2002
From: Philipp Schubert


Hi, Dr. Rudman.
I´m a German student from Helgoland, [North Sea, Germany] gathering Nudibranchs for my thesis. Yesterday I found a species, which I can´t define for sure using two books available to me (Synopses: Benthic Opisthobranchs by Thompson and Marine Fauna by Hayward and Ryland). Is it Aldisa zetlandica perhaps??

We found it diving in 5m depth on a harbour wall on no specific substratum, but sponges were present, also lot of Clavelina ascidians. The mantle looks smooth, but it bears thousands of very small papillae. The gills are retractable and the rhinophores are nearly invisible, the mantle is very ample, the anus is pumping weirdly...
Please help, I´m nearly desperate...;-)
Philipp Schubert

pschubert@awi-bremerhaven.de

Schubert, P., 2002 (Jun 22) Unknown dorid from Helgoland, Germany. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/7327

Dear Philipp,
Aldisa zetlandica has large conical tubercles on its back. The 'furry' texture on the back of this animal suggests a species of Rostanga or Jorunna. The only likely species in your part of the world would be Jorunna tomentosa, which ranges in colour from a pale off-white to a dirty brown, usually with scattered darker spots or patches. A colour variety, which was described as a distinct species, Jorunna lemchei Marcus, 1976, [but usually considered as synonym of J. tomentosa], looks much like your animal in having scattered pale spots. There are good colour illustrations of 'Jorunna lemchei' in Just & Lemche (1985).

I could of course be wrong, but if so, I am sure one of our European colleagues will let us know.

• Just, H. & Edmunds, M. North Atlantic Nudibranchs (Mollusca) seen by Henning Lemche. Ophelia: Supplement 2. Ophelia Publications: Helsingor. 170pp.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2002 (Jun 22). Comment on Unknown dorid from Helgoland, Germany by Philipp Schubert. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/7327

Factsheet

Jorunna tomentosa

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