Melibe 'fimbriata' from Cyprus

July 20, 2007
From: Felix Sanchez Villarejo


Dear Bill

I found this curious sea slug diving in Larnaka harbour, in the Cyprus south coast.I believe it is a Lessepian migrant because I can´t found it in a Mediterranean guides. It look like aplysiid but I´m not sure.

Locality: Larnaka Harbour, 8 meters, Cyprus, eastern Mediterranean, 15 may 2007, In sandy and muddy bottom. Length: 20 cm more or less. Photographer: Felix Sanchez.


It has a very curious extended mouth, and was eating by filtering the sandy bottom. I would like to know the name of this animal.

If somebody would like, I have a video of this eating, is very interesting.
Best wishes.
Felix Sanchez

felixsv@hotmail.com

Sanchez Villarejo, F., 2007 (Jul 20) Melibe 'fimbriata' from Cyprus. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/20207

Dear Felix,
Your animal is a lessepsian migrant from the Indian Ocean and as you will see from the relevant Fact Sheet I am calling it Melibe fimbriata because that is what it has previously been identified as in the Mediterranean. I suspect though that it is Melibe viridis. If you look at the earlier messages and information on other species of Melibe on the Forum you will see that these animals have lost their teeth and their ability to bite, and feed by using their greatly enlarged 'oral hood' as a sort of fishing net, detecting small crustacea (shrimps, small crabs, prawns etc) by the sensitive hair-like papillae around the edge of the oral hood. In your photo alongside we have a nice view of what a prey shrimp would see just before its caught.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2007 (Jul 20). Comment on Melibe 'fimbriata' from Cyprus by Felix Sanchez Villarejo. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/20207

Factsheet

Melibe fimbriata

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