Re: Perhaps a gorgonian feeder?

August 26, 2006
From: Leslie Harris

Concerning message #17487:

Hi Bill --
Although unnamed, this animal is well known as a dreaded pest in reef aquaria. Desperate pleas for help from afflicted reefers frequently show up on web boards. It usually arrives in tanks as a hitchhiker on zoanthids or live rock from the Indo-Pacific. There are reports of it on other soft corals as well. It reproduces easily and has an insatiable appetite much to the despair of zoanthid lovers. Unfortunately, accurate coral ids seem to be rare in the hobby so it's hard to say what species it feeds on.
Cheers,
Leslie

lharris@nhm.org

Harris, L.H., 2006 (Aug 26) Re: Perhaps a gorgonian feeder?. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/17613

Thanks Leslie,
That's interesting to know. It's certainly not surprising to find that there is an aeolid eating zoanthids other than Palythoa - or perhaps Palythoa is one of the range of zoanthids it feeds on? Certainly from the shape of the animal it doesn't seem to be a juvenile of the species of Aeolidiopsis I was referring to, so it would be nice to get some specimens next time someone has an infestation in their tank.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2006 (Aug 26). Comment on Re: Perhaps a gorgonian feeder? by Leslie Harris. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/17613

Factsheet

Feeding on Palythoa

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