Dondice banyulensis and Flabellina lineata

June 1, 2006
From: Dominique Horst


Hello,

I am confused again about the identification of this nudibranch. I thought initially it was Flabellina lineata, because the general color and the white line. I think now that it may be Dondice banyulensis, as the white line is double along the body and the rhinophores are circled. But until now the color of those I met was very orange...

Locality: Cap d'Antibes, 25m, Antibes, France, Mediterranean sea, 21 May 2006, rocks on sand. Length: 15-20mm. Photographer: Dominique Horst.

If you could confirm the identification please,.
Many thanks in advance,
Dominique

dominique.horst@wanadoo.fr

Horst, D., 2006 (Jun 1) Dondice banyulensis and Flabellina lineata. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/16687

Dear Dominique,
The two upper photos are of Dondice banyulensis and the lowest one, alongside my reply, is Flabellina lineata. Although distinctive features of a colour pattern, like white lines, can be a valuable identification tool, they can also be a bit of a trap if they blind us to other characters which are saying something different.

In the upper photos, the shape of the rhinophores, with spaced but very distinctive ridges or rings, the arrangement of the cerata, and the position of the white line between the ceratal groups, are all characteristic of D. banyulensis.

The animal in the lower photo also has white lines, but it has them in different places. For example the line on the oral tentacles runs along the top of the tentacle, not along the front, which is where it is in D. banyulensis. And the line along the side of the body is far below the ceratal groups, not between them. Another distinctive difference is that the rhinophores are smooth, not ridged, and there are broken white lines on the cerata.

Thanks for the nice photos of both species,
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2006 (Jun 1). Comment on Dondice banyulensis and Flabellina lineata by Dominique Horst. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/16687

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Dondice banyulensis

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