Herviella found again in southern Queensland
October 8, 2005
From: Gary Cobb
Hi Bill and everyone!
Concerning your comments on my earlier message [#14846]:
After finding the Herviella the other day I got excited and went back to search for more. Sure enough I found 6 more. They ranged from 6 mm to 10 mm and there were lots of egg masses.
Locality: Alexandra Headland, sthn Queensland, Australia. Intertidal. Length: 6-10 mm. 28 September 2005. Photographer: Gary Cobb
I noticed that this species is variable in its colouration. Some appear to have a black band under the whiteish tips of the rhinophores while some do not. After your email the other day, can you tell me this species I am find here on the Sunshine Coast is still H. claror. Denis Riek of Brunswick Heads NSW found one too and his looks the same as mine look the same. Hummm...
Thanks,
Gary Cobb
gary@cobb.com.au
Cobb, G., 2005 (Oct 8) Herviella found again in southern Queensland. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/14869
Dear Gary,
Welcome to the world of taxonomy. As I said in my earlier comments it is possible that H. affinis and H. claror are colour variants of one species, so your photos could be very useful. These photos, and your accompanying close-ups [#14886], certainly show a blackish band halfway up the rhinophores. Externall then the biggest difference from H. affinis are the lack of a clear white band below the orange ring on the cerata. What we need is more observations of colour variability here and in Japan, and a relook at the radular morphology of both species and others in the genus with an SEM.
I'll continue to use H. claror for your animals, as they come from almost the type locality of the species, but I would not be surprised if it turns out to be the same as Herviella affinis.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
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Herviella close-ups
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Herviella found in southern Queensland
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