Bajaeolis bertschi
Gosliner & Behrens, 1986

Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Superfamily: AEOLIDINA
Family: Glaucidae

DISTRIBUTION

Known from East Pacific from Baja California, Mexico; Panama; northern Peru.

PHOTO

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Photographer: Alicia Hermosillo

The body is translucent reddish pink with closely spaced opaque white spots all over the head and dorsal part of the body. Scattered opaque white spots are also found over the ceratal wall, except near the tip. The digestive gland duct varies from orange brown reddish pink. The lamellate rhinophores have a translucent pink stalk, and the leaflets on the club are white with with a pink patch at the top of the club. The tip of each rhinophore is translucent clear. The long tapering oral tentacles are translucent pink with a whitish tip and two darker purplish pink bands.

The cerata are arranged in groups which are described by the authors as pedunculate arches with 2 rows of cerata per arch. While the precardiac ceratal group on each side could be described as a shallow arch, in the post cardiac ceratal groups  the curve is so slight that they could be described as forward sloping rows. As in Pteraeolidia, the groups are on raised ridges sometimes described as 'pedunculate'.

They have been reported exclusively from athecate hydroids of the genus Eudendrium. The hightly convoluted salmon coloured egg masses are found on the hydroid colonies.

  • Gosliner, T.M. & Behrens, D.W. (1986) Two new species and genera of Aeolid nudibranchs from the tropical eastern Pacific. The Veliger, 29(1): 101-113.
Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 2005 (November 15) Bajaeolis bertschi Gosliner & Behrens, 1986. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/bajabert

Related messages


Flabellina cynara from Peru

November 12, 2005
From: Katia Nakamura


Dear Bill:
I found this species in northern Peru. I´m not sure which species it is so i need some help. It was 10-12 mm long and was found intertidally and also at 3 and 5 m depth.

Locality: Tumbes, Peru. August 2005. Photographer: Katia Nakamura

Your opinion will be very helpful.
Thank you.

Katia.

katia.nakamura@gmail.com

Nakamura, K.S., 2005 (Nov 12) Flabellina cynara from Peru. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/15249

Note added 16 Nov. 2005: This is Bajaeolis bertschi. See message #15257.

Dear Katia,
From the white speckling on the body and the cerata, and the lamellate rhinophores, I am pretty sure this is Flabellina cynara, If my identification is correct then I think this record is much further south than it has been recorded before.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2005 (Nov 12). Comment on Flabellina cynara from Peru by Katia Nakamura. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/15249