Tritoniopsis - another hitchhiker

September 23, 2000
From: Jim Roth


Hi,
I received a mystery nudibranch in some corals from Indonesia. Picture attached. It has been living on (and eating) a soft-coral I think is Cladiella. Initially I removed it, then I decided It was more interesting to have a beautiful nudibranch than another Cladiella. I put it back.

Somebody has tentatively ID'd it as Tritonopsis. I have a couple of questions:
1) Will it eat anything besides Cladiella? (Colt or Xenia?) I'd like to get another fast-growing soft coral to feed it.
2) I believe I have only one of these. Can it still reproduce in my 90g tank? I don't want an infestation.

Thanks for your help.
Jim Roth

roth@monmouth.com

Roth, J., 2000 (Sep 23) Tritoniopsis - another hitchhiker. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/3057

Dear Jim,
Yes your nudibranch is Tritoniopsis elegans. You'll see from the other messages below yours that this is not the first time it has been reported as a hitchhiker. Concerning whether it will eat other soft-corals. Our knowledge of what many tropical nudibranchs eat is still very rudimentary. Tritoniopsis is a soft-coral feeder and presumably it arrived and survived in your tank on a piece of soft-coral. However I can't say which ones it will eat and so can't recommend a fast growing one for you to buy.

Concerning it reproducing in your aquarium. If you have only one then the chances are zero. Although nudibranchs are hermaphrodites, with a full set of male and female organs, they do not self-fertilise. Since your animal was obviously very small when collected, it is unlikely to have mated before you got it. The apparent infestation reported in an earlier message is probably the result of a lot of microscopic juveniles being on a soft-coral when it was introduced into the aquarium.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman.

Rudman, W.B., 2000 (Sep 23). Comment on Tritoniopsis - another hitchhiker by Jim Roth. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/3057

Factsheet

Tritoniopsis elegans

Related messages

  1. Tritoniopsilla elegans - egg laying
    From: Sven Kahlbrock, September 19, 2008
  2. A case of Caphira yoodokai eating Tritoniopsis elegans
    From: Seiko Kuroe & Akira Mada, July 7, 2007
  3. Tritoniopsis elegans in aquarium
    From: Andrea Urban, March 13, 2007
  4. Feeding Tritoniopsis elegans
    From: Vik Shah, August 17, 2006
  5. Can you help Identify this hitchhiker?
    From: Jimmy Carmichael, January 13, 2006
  6. Unidentified Nudibranch in aquarium
    From: David Seibel, December 24, 2004
  7. Tritoniopsis elegans from Red Sea
    From: Oren Lederman, August 11, 2004
  8. Tritonopsis elegans from Kenya
    From: Ann Clear, July 19, 2004
  9. Re: Tritoniopsis elegans in aquaria [2]
    From: Albert Jeffer, March 16, 2004
  10. Tritoniopsis elegans in aquaria
    From: Wade Waldman, March 12, 2004
  11. Tritoniopsis elegans in aquaria [2]
    From: Albert Jeffers, March 12, 2004
  12. Finally found in Queensland
    From: Gary Cobb, November 19, 2003
  13. Re: Tritoniopis elegans in aquarium
    From: Chris Peacock, July 18, 2003
  14. Tritoniopis elegans in aquarium
    From: Chris Peacock, July 5, 2003
  15. Tritoniopsis elegans in aquarium
    From: Ember Barnett, May 30, 2003
  16. Tritoniopsis elegans in home aquarium
    From: Brian Lindsay , February 28, 2003
  17. ID Sea Slug
    From: Joe, February 13, 2003
  18. Re: Tritoniopsis elegans in aquarium
    From: Marc Daniels, January 25, 2003
  19. Are these Tritoniopsis elegans eggs?
    From: Onel, January 25, 2003
  20. Tritoniopsis elegans in aquarium
    From: Marc Daniels, January 22, 2003
  21. Tritoniid in aquarium
    From: Mary Middlebrook, January 18, 2003
  22. Tritoniopsis elegans - causing aquarium problems
    From: Sam Young, November 11, 2002
  23. Unexpected Tritoniopsis elegans guests
    From: Mark Armstrong, May 31, 2002
  24. Tritoniopsilla alba ? from the Philippines
    From: Erwin Koehler, April 24, 2002
  25. Tritoniopsis elegans and camouflage
    From: Nishina Masayoshi, October 18, 2001
  26. White nudibranch from Dendronephthya
    From: Wyatt Patry , September 26, 2001
  27. Another aquarium mystery
    From: Christy Falkenberg, September 16, 2001
  28. Tritoniopsis elegans - eggs
    From: Bernard Picton , August 19, 2001
  29. Tritoniopsis elegans feeding
    From: Leslie Chan, August 18, 2001
  30. Tritoniopsis elegans from Hong Kong
    From: Bernard Picton , August 18, 2001
  31. Tritoniopsis elegans - hitchhiker
    From: Tom O'Toole, July 31, 2001
  32. Tritoniopsis elegans from Hong Kong
    From: Leslie Chan, July 8, 2001
  33. Tritoniopsis elegans in aquarium
    From: Donna Pinnock, May 11, 2001
  34. Tritoniopsis elegans in aquarium
    From: Tracey Bollier, February 9, 2001
  35. Tritoniopsis elegans from South Africa
    From: Valda Fraser, January 27, 2001
  36. Unknown Nudibranch
    From: Marc Elig, December 12, 2000
  37. Tritoniopsis elegans in aquarium
    From: Cindy Nichols, January 4, 2000
  38. Tritoniopsis from Thailand
    From: Erwin Koehler, July 9, 1999
  39. Sponge-feeding tritoniid?
    From: David & Leanne Atkinson, April 14, 1999
  40. Nudibranch in reef tank
    From: Eirik Mack Eilertsen, January 4, 1999
  41. Re: Nudibranch in reef tank
    From: Eirik Mack Eilertsen   , January 4, 1999

Show factsheet and all related messages