Aphelodoris brunnea
Bergh, 1907
Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DORIDINA
Superfamily: EUDORIDOIDEA
Family: Dorididae
DISTRIBUTION
South Africa [Buffels Bay, nr Cape Point, to East London]
PHOTO
2 specimens showing colour variation. Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa. 24 February 2002, depth of 10m along with over 30 other specimens. Length: 35 mm. Photo: Lindsay Warren.
Translucent white with a mottled pattern of brown on dorsum and side of body/foot. Pattern very variable. Rhinophores translucent cream, sometimes mottled with brown. Translucent gills also mottled with brown to varying degrees.
References:
• Bergh, L.S.R. (1907) The Opisthobrachia of South Africa. Transactions of the South African Philosophocal Society, 17: 1-144.
Rudman, W.B., 2002 (September 8) Aphelodoris brunnea Bergh, 1907. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/aphebrun
Related messages
Aphelodoris brunnea from South Africa
August 1, 2005
From: Charles Rowe
Hi Bill,
Another Port Elizabeth nudi for your files. I believe it is Aphelodoris brunnea. This upper photo is by far the best shot I have of this species. The lower photo is of one that is a lot lighter in colour and the pattern is a lot
more "busy".
Locality: Shy Shark Reef, Port Elizabeth, South Africa, 12-14 metres. 17 July 2005. Photo: Charles Rowe.
Thanks.
Charles
Charles.Rowe@gmsa.com
Rowe, C., 2005 (Aug 1) Aphelodoris brunnea from South Africa. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/14288Dear Charles,
It's good to get an idea of the colour range in this species. It seems that some species of Aphelodoris, such as A. varia, are quite variable in colour, but in southern Australia its seems the opposite may also occur, as there are a group of similarly coloured species which are at present considered distinct.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Aphelodoris brunnea from South Africa
February 19, 2004
From: Rudolph van Jaarsveld
Dear Bill,
Herewith two photos of Aphelodoris brunnea taken at Port Elizabeth, South Africa mid 2003 at a depth of 14 meters.
Regards,
Rudolph van Jaarsveld
rudolph.vanjaarsveld@tcm.co.za
van Jaarsveld, R., 2004 (Feb 19) Aphelodoris brunnea from South Africa. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/12200Thanks Rudolph,
Bill Rudman
Aphelodoris brunnea feeding?
December 9, 2003
From: Charles Rowe
Hi Bill,
Last weekend [November 2003] we dived Phillips Reef which is a small reef in Algoa
Bay, Port Elizabeth [South Africa]. At the very end of the dive, just before we surfaced, the Dive Master motioned me to come over to show me one of the three
nudibranchs I know of in Port Elizabeth which I haven't seen. The nudi was
at about 10 metres and difficult to spot as you can imagine from the photos. I was really pleased and got some good shots which I have included here. Can
you identify it for me?
Is there an easy way to use the Sea Slug Forum data base to identify nudis? If I was able to access all South African ones it would be a help.
See ya.
Charles
Charles.rowe@delta.co.za
Dear Charles,
When I first saw these photos I thought you had a Discodoris lilacina which often casts off parts of its mantle skirt as a defensive mechanism [see autotomy page]. The animal in your photo seems to have a very narrow mantle skirt down each side with the foot clearly visible.
It is Aphelodoris brunnea, a species known only from temperate South Africa. If you look at the two close-ups I have included you can see the raised pockets around the gill and rhinophore openings, a character of this genus. Your animal is almost identical in colour form to one in an earlier message from Lindsay Warren.
Concerning the problems of identifying species from the Forum. The point you raise is a fault with the Forum which I have recognised for some time [years in fact]. Two improvements I have been preparing are • an online identification guide which hopefully would allow you to identify animals to the genus level
• a thumbnail key where you could put in a few key words, for example 'yellow spots' and 'aeolid' and you would get a display of thumbnail photos of all the yellow-spotted aeolids on the Forum.
Unfortunately things like this take time and assistance, both of which are in short supply at present. All I can suggest at present is that you use the Forum's internal SEARCH engine and type in South Africa. The list is quite long thanks to the input of you, Valda Fraser and others.
Although providing identifications is time consuming it does allow the Forum to accumulate much valuable information on geographic distribution, colour variation etc. For example I am pretty sure the slug in your photos is feeding on the whitish sponge which you can see in the photo alongside. So don't feel bad about asking for an indentification. In most cases we both gain some valuable information.
Best wishes
Bill Rudman
Aphelodoris brunnea from South Africa
February 7, 2003
From: Valda Fraser
Daer Bill,
Was pleased to find a good few Aphelodoris brunnea myself.
Locality: Cape St Francis, South Africa,
Depth: 20m. Size: 20mm. January 2003
Regards,
Valda Fraser
valdafraser@mweb.co.za
Fraser, V., 2003 (Feb 7) Aphelodoris brunnea from South Africa. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/9085Thanks Valda,
Bill Rudman
Aphelodoris from South Africa
September 10, 2002
From: Lindsay Warren
Dear Bill
This is the other specimen which I mentioned in my earlier message. I thought it might be Aphelodoris brunnea. It too was found while diving off Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa earlier this year. - 24 February 2002 at 9.20am at a depth of 10m; water temp: 15C; L: 45 mm.[LCRW0009]
It differs from the other three I sent you in that the body is more spatulate at the anterior end and the rhinophore clubs are white with brown speckles. This specimen is also being registered and lodged with the
Natural History Museum, London.
However it shares a number of 'common' external features - white gills with brown markings, mantle with overall white base colour and mottled / patchy brown marks, mantle also soft to the touch with small pustules/wrinkles, white foot with mottled brown patches, same shape and proportions of rhinophore and sheaths. I suspect that these are all the same species but would very much welcome your comments.
With best wishes
Lindsay
alldcl@compuserve.com
Warren, L., 2002 (Sep 10) Aphelodoris from South Africa. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/7889Dear Lindsay,
I suspect this is part of the colour variation of Aphelodoris brunnea. In southeastern Australia we have A. varia which, as its name suggests, is very variable in colour. The only way to be completely sure though is to get a resident research worker to study the biology and ecology of these animals, and their populations, over a number of years. Species of this genus seem to have very few anatomical differences. I suspect an anatomist working from a few preserved specimens could easily reach the wrong conclusion.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Aphelodoris brunnea? from South Africa (1)
September 10, 2002
From: Lindsay Warren
Dear Bill,
I hope you had a good and restful break - well deserved! And now to 'plague' you with more finds! Earlier this year we were diving off Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Amongst our 'finds' were hordes of what I took to be Aphelodoris brunnea Bergh, 1907 although I am now having doubts. We found well over.... of these during the course of two dives. These along with Leminda millecra and Janolus capensis were extremely abundant.
These Aphelodoris were very variable in their markings although the overall colour of the mantle consisted of a white background with mottled brown markings of varying intensity of colour. The sides of the foot were white with some mottled brown patches. In Bergh's description he says that the body is 'quite smooth' as does Gosliner, 1987. However, I found that while soft and smooth to the touch, the mantle is covered in small tubercles/wrinkles as can be seen in the photos of a few of the specimens we found. The gills were white, speckled with brown while the rhinophores featured white stems and pale yellow clubs; the rhinophore sheaths were about just short of half the length of the rhinophore with a slightly 'ragged' edge and had the same coloration as the notum. Bergh says that "the club of the rhinophores [were] brownish, so, too, the rhachides of the gill-leaves."
This would seem to say that the gills and rhinophore clubs were close in coloration while the specimens we found were not.
I have attached photos of three specimens to show the variation. Some have been preserved in alcohol and are in the process of being lodged and registered with the Natural History Museum, London.
UPPER RIGHT: LCRW0008 24 February 2002 around 9.15 am at a depth of 10m along with over 30 other specimens. Water temp: 15C.
Length: 35 mm.
LOWER LEFT: LCRW0006 was found by Kevin Reed on 23 February 2002 at midday at a depth of 13m, water temp: 16C; L: 45 mm.
LOWER RIGHT: LCRW0011 24 February 2002 around 9.15 am at a depth of 10m along with over 30 other specimens. Water temp: 15C.
Length: 35 mm.
In another message I have sent details of another very similar specimen. I would be very interested to know what you think of all these specimens and whether you think that this identification is correct.
All the very best,
Lindsay
alldcl@compuserve.com
Thanks Lindsay,
I have posted some of your photos in a separate message. Concerning their identity they certainly look to me as though they are colour variants. In fact the animal you thought might be different looks more like the one Terry Gosliner identifies as A. brunnea than the others do. It is diificult to know how much weight to give to Bergh's colour descriptions. Sometimes they are based on the colour of preserved specimens - although he doesn't always make that clear. Looking at your photos it seems the brown colouration on the rhinophores and gills is very variable - certainly Fig 82 in Gosliner (1987) shows brown pigmentation on gills and rhinophores. My guess is all these photos yu have sent are of Aphelodoris brunnea - but I speak as an 'armchair expert' as have never seen the species alive or in situ.
Cheers,
Bill Rudman.
Aphelodoris brunnea? from South Africa (2)
September 10, 2002
From: Lindsay Warren
Dear Bill,
Here are some more photos of Aphelodoris brunnea to accompany my earlier message.
This animal (LCRW0010) exhibited the dorso-ventral flexion movement characteristic of Hexabranchus sanguineus in mid water and mentioned in Gosliner, 1987. It was found by Kevin Reed off Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa. 24 February 2002 around 9.15 am at a depth of 10m along with over 30 other specimens. Water temp: 15C. Length: 43 mm.
All the very best,
Lindsay
alldcl@compuserve.com
Warren, L., 2002 (Sep 10) Aphelodoris brunnea? from South Africa (2). [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/7891Thanks Lindsay,
Bill Rudman
