Two nudibranchs from Reykjavik, Iceland

September 30, 2005
From: Freyja Imsland

These are pictures of two nudibanchs that were found in an intertidal area on a very low tide at Ægissíða in Reykjavík, Iceland. This is a wide intertidal area where seeweeds blossom, in a creek that is enclosed in a bay. Even though it is in the middle of a city, the area is not polluted, neither with silt nor with offal. The nudibranchs were just past a bank of sorts so they were in deeper water than would have become un-submerged, even at a tide even lower than that day.

Locality: Ægissíða, Reykjavík, Iceland. Atlantic Ocean. Depth: Probably -0.4 m. Length: 70 mm and 59 mm. 18 September 2005. Slightly subtidal, area heavily covered in seaweed. Photographer: Freyja Imsland

Freyja Imsland

freyjai@hi.is

Imsland, F., 2005 (Sep 30) Two nudibranchs from Reykjavik, Iceland. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/14862

Dear Freyja,
I think this is the first nudibranch message from Iceland. Welcome to the Forum!

I am pretty sure this is Doris pseudoargus. The mantle is covered in small rounded tubercles of two sizes, which is one of the characters which you can use from your photos to separate this species from another large tuberculate Atlantic dorid called Geitodoris planata. There are other differences which I discuss on the Archidoris pseudoargus Fact Sheet. I should have changed the name on the Fact Sheet to Doris pseudoargus before now, because in a major revision of the group, Ángel Valdés showed that there were no good reasons to maintain the genus Archidoris. Unfortunately I have had too little time for 'house-keeping' on the Forum in the last few months. Hopefully I can find time in the near future to do this

  • Valdés, Á. (2002) A phylogenetic analysis and systematics revision of the cryptobranch dorids (Mollusca, Nudibranchia, Anthobranchia). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 136: 535-636

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2005 (Sep 30). Comment on Two nudibranchs from Reykjavik, Iceland by Freyja Imsland. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/14862

Factsheet

Archidoris pseudoargus

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