Re: Favorinus blianus

July 2, 2001
From: Bernard Picton

Hi Bill,
I'm sure your identification of Favorinus blianus from the American East Coast is correct - certainly an interesting find given the low diversity of nudibranchs in that region. It is a rather scarce animal with us, presumably feeding on other nudibranch egg masses limits its abundance and of course it was only described in 1976. Normally I only find solitary individuals. The white lines can break up into dotted lines, both on the body, cerata and tentacles in some individuals, but the overall body shape and the way the cerata are held are quite characteristic.

I've attached a few scans:
UPPER RIGHT: - Apr 1978 - Mulroy Bay, Co Donegal, Ireland - feeding on eggs of ?Acanthodoris pilosa - with Favorinus blianus spawn at bottom of photo.
LOWER RIGHT: close-up of Mulroy bay animal to show head and rhinophores.
LOWER LEFT: - Aug 1985 - Stac Lee, St Kilda, NW Scotland'

Bernard

bernard.picton.um@nics.gov.uk

Picton, B.E. , 2001 (Jul 2) Re: Favorinus blianus. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/4710

Dear Bernard,
I meant to draw attention to the food of species of Favorinus. It would be interesting to see if F. blianus would eat the spawn of opisthobranchs with coloured, rather than white, eggs, and if so how its colour would change.

[I have digitally altered your top right photo by moving the eggs of F. blianus to the right of their real position - Bill Rudman]

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2001 (Jul 2). Comment on Re: Favorinus blianus by Bernard Picton. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/4710

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