Cerberilla tanna? From Florida (2)

May 6, 2003
From: Linda Ianniello

Dr. Bill,
Anne DuPont recently sent you a message from Jeff Hutchinson about a Cerberilla he found last week. We dove the same site last night [4 May 2003] and found another one, but with different coloration. I suspect it is a color variation of Jeff's one, though not as colorful. I checked all the ones I could find on the web and can't find a match. Interesting, it has the identical dark spot at the base of the rhinophores - an eye spot?
Linda Ianniello

lindai@us.ibm.com

Ianello, L., 2003 (May 6) Cerberilla tanna? From Florida (2). [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/9868

Dear Linda,
Since this find is very special, and I am also posting a message of another Cerberilla from the Mediterranean, I'm sure no-one will mind me fast-tracking your message to the top of the queue.

You don't give me any indication of size, but I guess from your message this was smaller than Jeff's animal. As you found this at the same place and essentially the same time, I would agree that this probably is a juvenile of Jeff's species. Unfortunately we know very little about the biology of any species Cerberilla so I can't say whether other species have a dull juvenile colour form. Certainly C. incola does, but in C. affinis and C. annulata the main difference seems to be that the juveniles have proportionally much longer oral tentacles.

As I said to Jeff, this is a very interesting find - and yes the dot at the base of the rhinophores is the eye.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2003 (May 6). Comment on Cerberilla tanna? From Florida (2) by Linda Ianniello. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/9868

Factsheet

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