Re: Asteronotus from Solomon Ids

September 18, 2001
From: Bernard Picton

Hi Bill,
I saw an animal very like the one in Bruce Potter's message in Bali in 1996 at night. It was large, but about the same size as a typically coloured Asteronotus cespitosus, indeed I photographed a typical animal on the same dive [UPPER RIGHT]. I assumed, on the basis of the difference in pigmentation and height of the tubercles and ridges that the dark red animal was a separate species.

The dark red animal was pigmented like some species of Pleurobranchus which are also only seen out at night, the colour seems to absorb flashlight and is difficult to expose correctly, appearing almost black in the photographs [LOWER RIGHT]. It had a small shrimp associated with it [LOWER LEFT].

All FROM: Pemuteran, Bali, Indonesia. April 1996, 8-15m depth at night.
Bernard

bernard.picton.um@nics.gov.uk

Picton, B.E., 2001 (Sep 18) Re: Asteronotus from Solomon Ids. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/5286

Thanks Bernard,
It could be a distinct species. It definitely needs someone to compare the anatomy of the dark 'form' and the more typical colour form.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2001 (Sep 18). Comment on Re: Asteronotus from Solomon Ids by Bernard Picton . [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/5286

Factsheet

Asteronotus cespitosus

Related messages

  1. Asteronotus cespitosus from Singapore
    From: Ron Yeo, March 22, 2010
  2. Asteronotus cespitosus from North Queensland, Australia
    From: Paul Osmond, April 9, 2007
  3. Asteronotus cespitosus? from Philippines
    From: Philip Lau, February 25, 2004
  4. Asteronotus cespitosus? from Solomon Ids
    From: Bruce Potter, July 16, 2003
  5. Asteronotus cespitosus?
    From: Ginette Allard, November 16, 2002
  6. Asteronotus cespitosus from the Solomons
    From: Bruce Potter, April 12, 2002
  7. Asteronotus cespitosus from the Solomon Ids
    From: Bruce Potter, January 19, 2002
  8. Re: Asteronotus variability
    From: Julie Marshall, September 25, 2001
  9. Re: Asteronotus variability
    From: Julie Marshall, September 22, 2001
  10. Asteronotus from the Solomon Ids
    From: Bruce Potter, September 12, 2001
  11. Asteronotus? from PNG
    From: Erwin Koehler, May 20, 2001
  12. Asteronotus cespitosus from the Philippines
    From: Mary Jane Adams , May 20, 2001

Show factsheet and all related messages