Flabellina gracilis
(Alder & Hancock, 1844)

Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: AEOLIDINA
Family: Flabellinidae

DISTRIBUTION

North Atlantic, European coast from France to Iceland, North American coast from Newfoundland to New England.

PHOTO

UPPER: 73 feet (34 meters) off New York, USA. PHOTO: Betsy Hansen.
LOWER: Burghsluis, Oosterschelde, The Netherlands, 10 April 1999. PHOTO: Peter van Bragt.

Grows to about 15mm long. Reported to feed on hydroids Eudendrium ramosum but in deeper water it is found eating Halecium articulosum and Clytia johnstoni.

Comparison from Terry Gosliner message below: 'The main external characteristics for differentiating F. gracilis from F. verrucosa is that the cerata are more distinctly arranged in rows in F. gracilis and there is a more prominent vestige of a notal brim in F. gracilis. Also F. gracilis has a sort of notched head between the junction of the oral tentacles and more elongate anterior margins of the foot'.

Reference:
• Kuzirian, A.M. (1979) Taxonomy and biology of four New England coryphellid nudibranchs. Journal of Molluscan Studies, 45: 239-261.
• Thompson, T.E. & Brown, G.H. (1984) Biology of Opisthobranch Molluscs, Vol 2. Ray Society: London.

Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 1999 (August 28) Flabellina gracilis (Alder & Hancock, 1844). [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/flabgrac

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    From: Alan Shepard, August 28, 2003
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    From: Peter H. van Bragt, September 4, 1999
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