Flabellina pedata from the Mediterranean

August 7, 2002
From: Marina Poddubetskaia


Dear Bill,
This Flabellina pedata was found during the 'Sea Slugs Training Course' in Cerbere and was identified by Jean-Pierre Bielecki. Flabellina pedata could be confused with Flabellina affinis or F. ischitana. According to Jean-Pierre, the sure way to distinguish it: F. pedata is the only one who has smooth or lightly wrinkled rhinophores (those of F. affinis and F. ischitana are lamellated).

I also think that this animal looks like my juvenile (which has smooth rhinophores) in my earlier message which you thought might be F. affinis.

Date : July 04, 2002
Location : Cerbere, France
Site : L'Ocell
Depth : 17m
Size : 10-15mm
Photos: Marina Poddubetskaia - Nembro website

Best wishes,
Marina.

nembro@nembro.info

Thanks Marina,
With groups of similarly coloured species, local knowledge is an important ingredient in correctly identifying species. Certainly the shape of the rhinophores is very useful in separating F. pedata from the other two species. As I said when discussing your earlier message, I couoldn't be sure in your juvenile whether the lack of lamellae on the rhinophores was because it was F. pedata or because it was a juvenile of one of the other two species and hadn't as yet developed lamellae. We just have to accept that sometimes a photo is just not enough for a proper identification.
Cheers,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2002 (Aug 7). Comment on Flabellina pedata from the Mediterranean by Marina Poddubetskaia. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/7547

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