Sea slug mystery

March 18, 2003
From: Steve Zanieri

Steve Long suggested I try you for help in the I.d. of this animal. It was purchased from my LFS who didn't have a clue about it. It is black with white tips to the antennae and large lumps on its back, it was described as a Quasimodo Sea Slug, but I cant find any reference to it. Any help on diet and whether suitable to reef tanks would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Steve Zanieri

steven@zanieri.freeserve.co.uk

Zanieri, S., 2003 (Mar 18) Sea slug mystery . [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/9426

Dear Steve,
This is a snail that looks like a slug, because its shell is now hidden inside its skin. It belongs to a family called the Velutinidae, and velutinids are often mistaken for nudibranchs. This species is probably Chelynotus semperi, but I am not well enough acquainted with the literature on this group to know whether it is just a colour form of another species, Coriocella nigra. As you will see on the Fact Sheet, species of this family seem to feed on colonial ascidians or sea squirts. We don't know much about the biology of velutinids so I don't know if each species has a particular species of ascidian it prefers, or whether it will eat any ascidian. I am afraid that as with keeping nudibranchs in aquaria, your chances of keeping this animal alive and healthy is fairly slim. Even if you identified its food, getting a colony of its preferred ascidian for your aquarium, and keeping it alive and healthy - while being eaten alive - would not be an easy task.
Cheers,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2003 (Mar 18). Comment on Sea slug mystery by Steve Zanieri. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/9426

Factsheet

Velutinidae - are they sea slugs?

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