Re: Radula of Senegalese Okenia zoobotryon [2]

June 17, 2006
From: Angel Valdes


Concerning message #16883:

Dear Bill,
I think you are absolutely right. The original descriptions of Okenia zoobotryon and O. polycerelloides look identical to me and different from the species that Valdes & Ortea (1995) called O. zoobotryon, which I agree is probably a new species. You are also right that the confusion started with Clark's (1984) redescription of O. zoobotryon, based on specimens from the type locality (lower drawing - Clark, 1984: Fig 44), which clearly have a dorsal hump.

I also attached here photos of both species taken by Jeff Hamann in the Caribbean Sea.  The upper photo is the one which has been mistakenly indentified as O. zoobotryon but it is likely an undescribed species - it was taken in Grand Bahama. The lower photo is the 'true' O. zoobotryon - it was taken in Venezuela

Best regards,
Angel

avaldes@nhm.org

Valdes, A., 2006 (Jun 17) Re: Radula of Senegalese Okenia zoobotryon [2]. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/16889

Dear Angel,
Thanks for the two photos which show the differences very well. Kerry Clark sent me a photo of his Okenia zoobotryon which is the one I have at present on the species Fact Sheet  but it never looked quite right. Now that we have photos of both from the Caribbean it seems pretty clear that there are two different species. I think this photo of the 'true' Okenia zoobotryon is the first I have seen which unequivocally matches Smallwood's original description - after almost 100 years. I will now have to look at my notes on the Australian animals [message #12656]  and see if they are either of these two Atlantic species.

It's wonderful to be able to resolve this problem
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2006 (Jun 17). Comment on Re: Radula of Senegalese Okenia zoobotryon [2] by Angel Valdes. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/16889

Factsheet

Okenia zoobotryon

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