Godiva quadricolor? from Sth Africa

November 23, 1999
From: Valda Fraser

Dear Bill,
Any ideas on this yellow/blue/white aeolid?

Locality: South Coast of Kwa Zulu Natal, South Africa, near Port Shepstone. Low profile scattered rocky reef. Depth: 38m. February 1999. Size: 50mm

Thanks,
Valda Fraser.

iti04937@mweb.co.za

Fraser, V., 1999 (Nov 23) Godiva quadricolor? from Sth Africa. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/1527

Dear Valda,
This is another mystery I'm afraid. It has a very similarly coloured cerata to a colour form of the janolid Bonisa nakaza that Gosliner (1981) illustrated from South Africa, but as you can see in the photo of Janolus mokohinau, janolids have cerata all around the front of the head and do not have the large prominent oral tentacles we can see in your photo.

It is clearly an aeolid, and from its size, arrangement of cerata, and relatively small rhinophores placed close together, it possibly belongs in the family Aeolidiidae. There are also a number of species of the aeolid family Cuthonidae with blue and yellow cerata, but none seem to fit your photo.

It also has similarities to Godiva quadricolor which also has large laterally pointing oral tentacles and relatively small rhinophores sitting close together in the midline. However, unless that species has a very wide colour variation, it seems an unlikely identification.

Hopefully Terry Gosliner will come to our aid.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman.

Rudman, W.B., 1999 (Nov 23). Comment on Godiva quadricolor? from Sth Africa by Valda Fraser. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/1527

Factsheet

Cerberilla sp. 1.

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  1. Re: Godiva quadricolor? from South Africa
    From: Terry Gosliner, November 23, 1999

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