Cuthona lagunae? from California

July 11, 2000
From: Clinton Bauder


Hi Bill,

This is probably a Dave Behrens question but if anybody else can help I'd love to hear from you...

While diving yesterday near Yankee Point, California (just south of Carmel) I came across some interesting nudibranchs. I was diving in about 90 feet (30M) of water on a rocky bottom. Near the end of my dive I noticed a Macrocystis kelp stalk which was covered in hydroids. My instinct was "Hey - that's a great place to look for nudibranchs" and boy did I find them! There were dozens of small (4-8mm) aeolids apparently grazing on the hydroids. At first they looked like Flabellina trilineata but a closer inspection revealed that they were something else.

From Dave Behrens' book I'm guessing Cuthona lagunae but I'm not sure. They appear to have white oral tentacles, smooth orange rhinophores and dark green cerata tipped with bright orange. The tail is marked with a white stripe.

I apologize for the frightfully bad jpegs but the branchs were small, my lens wide angle and my bottom time limited! In any case am I on the right track here?

Clinton

gecko1@apple.com

Bauder, C., 2000 (Jul 11) Cuthona lagunae? from California. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/2693

Dear Clinton,
I'm sure Dave Behrens will let us know if we are mistaken, but I agree with your identification of Cuthona lagunae. The orange rhinophores, white oral tentacles and white median line on posterior end of foot seem very distinctive, and certainly stand out in your photos.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman.

Rudman, W.B., 2000 (Jul 11). Comment on Cuthona lagunae? from California by Clinton Bauder. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/2693

Factsheet

Cuthona lagunae

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