Trapania pallida from French Mediteranean

April 16, 2010
From: Dominique Horst

Concerning message #3768:

Hi Bill,

I've identified this as Trapania pallida. It is the first time I have seen it. It apparently feeds on Cnidarian (Leptogorgia sarmentosa).

Except a friend of mine in mid January I've never read or see anything about this species in Mediterranean...

Locality: Cagnes, 40 m, France, Mediterranean sea, 30 January 2010, muddy. Length: 5 mm. Photographer: Dominique Horst.

Kind regards,
Dominique

dominique.horst@wanadoo.fr

Horst, D., 2010 (Apr 16) Trapania pallida from French Mediteranean. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/23180

Dear Dom,

This certainly looks like T. pallida to me and I can't find any record of it from the Mediterranean so you may have documented an interesting range extension.

Concerning its food. Bernard Picton's message [#3767] was one of the first that clealry showed that species of Trapania feed on entoprocts [Kamptozoa]. Negatives are hard to prove, but I would be surprised if T. pallida fed on a cnidarian - it is certainly not a normal food of any dorid species.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2010 (Apr 16). Comment on Trapania pallida from French Mediteranean by Dominique Horst. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/23180

Factsheet

Trapania pallida

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  1. Re: Trapania pallida feeding
    From: Dominique Horst, April 30, 2010
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    From: Bernard Picton , February 12, 2001
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    From: Bernard Picton , February 12, 2001

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