Atagema carinata
(Quoy & Gaimard, 1832)
Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DORIDINA
Superfamily: EUDORIDOIDEA
Family: Dorididae
DISTRIBUTION
Known only from New Zealand
PHOTO
Dusky Sound, Fiordland, New Zealand. Depth: 6 m. Length: 40 mm. 10 May 2005. Rocky reef. Photographer: Ian Skipworth. Lower photo showing characteristic dorsal 'keel'.
Atagema carinata is a pure white dorid, characterised by the caryophyllidia, which give the mantle a furry appearance, the high sheaths bordering the rhinophore pockets, the tri-lobed gill pocket, and the spectacular fin-like crest in the dorsal midline. There are very few records of this species in the literature and little is known of its anatomy. From Willan & Coleman's photo (1984), Valdés & Gosliner (2001) describe the rhinophores and gills as orange, but Ian Skipworth's message [#13907] shows that they must range in colour from orange to translucent white.
The only records I can find of this species are one from nthn New Zealand ( Firth of Thames - Quoy & Gaimard, 1832), and a number from sthn New Zealand (Dusky Sound, Fiordland - Suter, 1912; Skipworth, message #13907; Stewart Island - Willan & Coleman, 1984; Dunedin - Miller, message #13863).
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Quoy, J. R. and Gaimard, J. P. (1832) Voyages de découvertes de l`Astrolabe pendant les années 1826-1829 sous le commandement de M.J. Dumont d`Urville. Zoologie 2: 1-686.
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Suter, H. (1915) Manual of New Zealand Mollusca. Govt Printer: Wellington. 1120pp.
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Valdés, A. and Gosliner, T. M. (2001) Systematics and phylogeny of the caryophyllidia-bearing dorids (Mollusca, Nudibranchia), with descriptions of a new genus and four new species from Indo-Pacific deep waters. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 133: 103-198.
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Willan, R.C. & Coleman, N. (1984) Nudibranchs of Australasia. Australasian Marine Photographic Index, Sydney. pp1-56
Rudman, W.B., 2005 (May 29) Atagema carinata (Quoy & Gaimard, 1832). [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/atagcari
Related messages
Quoy & Gaimard's description of Atagema carinata
May 30, 2005
From: Bill Rudman
To accompany Ian Skipworth's photo [#13907] of Atagema carinata (Quoy & Gaimard, 1832) here is a scan of the original illustrations from Plate 16 (Figs 10-14) from Quoy & Gaimard.
Certainly the illustrations emphasise the the caryophyllidia, which give the mantle a furry appearance, and the high sheaths around the rhinophore pockets, and even the tri-lobed gill pocket, but they don't record the spectacular fin-like crest illustrated in Ian Skipworth's photo. The only other photos I have seen of this species are dorsal shots, so the nature of the crest is not obvious. Perhaps it is variable, sometimes low and of a uniform height, as in Quoy & Gaimard's illustration, and sometimes more elaborately developed. The type specimen was only 9 mm long preserved so it is possible the crest does not fully develop until the animal is larger.
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Quoy, J. R. and Gaimard, J. P. (1832) Voyages de découvertes de l`Astrolabe pendant les années 1826-1829 sous le commandement de M.J. Dumont d`Urville. Zoologie 2: 1-686.
Atagema carinata from Portobello, Dunedin, N.Z.
May 30, 2005
From: Bill Rudman
To accompany Ian Skipworth's photo of Atagema carinata [message #13907] here is another photo kindly provided by Dr Michael C. Miller
Locality: Headland Point, Portobello, Otago Harbour, Dunedin, New Zealand. 22 August 1962. Photo. M.C. Miller.
Interestingly the gills and rhinophores are coloured orange, as noted in a photo in Willan & Coleman, (1984). In Skipworth's photo the gills and thinophores are translucent white. Although it is difficult to see, there appears to be only a small raised 'keel' on the mid-dorsal crest in Michael Miller's photo, perhaps showing an intermediate stage between Quoy & Gaimard's illustration [message #13821] in which the keel is lacking, and Ian Skipworth's photo with a very large keel.
Best wishes
Bill Rudman
Atagema carinata from Fiordland, NZ
May 30, 2005
From: Ian Skipworth
Hi Bill,
We saw two or three of these nudis, all in shallow (6 m) water. I don't recall them from previous Fiordland trips but guess they're not uncommon. They seem have a distinctive ridge on their back and an unusual skin texture. Water temp was 13 to 14 deg.c.
Locality: Dusky Sound, Fiordland, New Zealand. Depth: 6 m. Length: 40 mm. 10 May 2005. Rocky reef. Photographer: Ian Skipworth.
Your comments would be much appreciated.
Cheers,
Ian
ian@ianskipworth.com
Ian Skipworth, 2005 (May 30) Atagema carinata from Fiordland, NZ. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/13907 Dear Ian,
This is a very nice find. It is Atagema carinata (Quoy & Gaimard, 1832). It was first found in the Firth of Thames in nthn New Zealand during the great French scientific expedition of the Astrolabe in the 1820s, and has seldom been recorded since. The only records I can find of this species are the original one from northern New Zealand (Quoy & Gaimard, 1832), and a number from southern N. Z. (Dusky Sound, Fiordland - Suter, 1912; Stewart Island - Willan & Coleman, 1984; Dunedin - Miller, 2005 [message #13863].
Atagema carinata is a pure white dorid, characterised by the caryophyllidia, which give it the furry skin texture you mention, the high sheaths bordering the rhinophore pockets, the tri-lobed gill pocket, and the spectacular fin-like crest in the dorsal midline. Not all specimens seem to have such a spectacular development of the dorsal crest as your animals. This is a very interesting find. Have a look at the other messages I have posted today on this species and the Fact Sheet.
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Quoy, J. R. and Gaimard, J. P. (1832) Voyages de découvertes de l`Astrolabe pendant les années 1826-1829 sous le commandement de M.J. Dumont d`Urville. Zoologie 2: 1-686.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
