Chromodoris gleniei
(Kelaart, 1858)
Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DORIDINA
Family: Chromodorididae
DISTRIBUTION
Indian Ocean. (originally described from Sri Lanka, and subsequently from Tanzania and the Maldives).
PHOTO
Fungu Yasin, off Kunduchi Beach, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, November 1976. PHOTO: Bill Rudman.
This relatively uncommon species of Chromodoris seems to be restricted to the Indian Ocean. From its colour pattern it seems to be a sibling species of the western Pacific species Chromodoris coi. In C. glenei, the central part of the mantle is an orange-brown colour with deep purple or black markings. In C. coi the central region is a dull brown colour with a darker mottling of the same color. In both species there is a very similarly shaped wavy edge to the central region of the mantle and in both species the mantle margin consists of an inner dull purple band and and outer white band.
Reference:
• Rudman, W.B. (1987a) The Chromodorididae (Opisthobranchia: Mollusca) of the Indo-West Pacific: Chromodoris epicuria, C.aureopurpurea, C. annulata, C. coi and Risbecia tryoni colour groups. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 90: 305-407.
Rudman, W.B., 1999 (October 16) Chromodoris gleniei (Kelaart, 1858). [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/chroglen
Related messages
Chromodoris gleniei from Similan Islands
January 10, 2003
From: Danny Van Belle
Hi Bill,
Some pictures of Chromodoris gleniei
Divesite: Rocky Point - Koh Bangu - Similan islands - Thailand
Depth: 25m
Date: February 2001
Cheers,
Danny
dannyvb@hotmail.com
Thanks Danny,
Its intersting how these photos show it 'flapping just the front of its mantle. Its usually more common in this species to see the whole of the mantle flapping up and then down. The lower left photo also shows the characteristic purple colouration on the underside of the anterior mantle, and the oral tentacles which are usually hidden from view.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Chromodoris gleniei from Similan Islands
May 6, 2002
From: Barbara Phua
Hi Dr Rudman,
I saw this very pretty nudibranch while diving in the waters off Pinnacle, Similand Islands, Phuket, Thailand, in February this year.
Barbara Phua
babalapan@hotmail.com
Dear Barbara,
This is Chromodoris glenei, which is basically an Indian Ocean species, although there is an anomalous record on the Forum of a find in the Solomon Ids. It has an apparently closely related counterpart in the Westen Pacific called Chromodoris coi.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Re: Chromodoris gleniei from the Solomon Islands
March 27, 2001
From: Erwin Koehler
Dear Bill,
Concerning your request I check the locality of Gerhard's photo of C. gleniei. I checked it before sending the photo to the Sea Slug Forum: This photo was definitely taken at the Solomon Islands.
Erwin
Erwin@medslugs.de
Koehler, E., 2001 (Mar 27) Re: Chromodoris gleniei from the Solomon Islands. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/4042Thanks Erwin,
All I can say is that this is a very interesting observation. Could everyone have a look at their photos and see if they have animals looking like C. gleniei from the Pacific or C. coi from the Indian Ocean. By chance I have just posted a message from Drew Taylor of an apparent C. coi from northwestern Australia.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman.
Chromodoris gleniei from the Solomon Islands
March 19, 2001
From: Erwin Koehler
Dear Bill
attached is a photo from the Solomon Islands, made by Gerhard Ramsch in March 1996. I think it is Chromodoris gleniei - this increases the distribution from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific.
Size about 4,5 cm, depth not recorded.
Erwin
Erwin@medslugs.de
Koehler, E., 2001 (Mar 19) Chromodoris gleniei from the Solomon Islands. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/3964Dear Erwin,
This is certainly a photo of Chromodoris gleniei. Because it is so far outside its known distribution it is important to verify the record. Sometimes photographs get mixed up. Perhaps the photographer was somewhere in the Indian Ocean the year before or the year afterwards? Could you please check with Gerhard if there is any possibility of a mixup? I apologise for any suggestion that I don't believe him, I just need to emphasise that this is a pretty major range extension for the species and we need to be sure.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Chromodoris gleniei from Madagascar
January 22, 2001
From: Leif Abrell
Dear Bill,
Here is a photo of Chromodoris gleniei which I took in NW Madagascar in April, 2000.
Photos of the other opisthobranchs from Madagascar can be seen at http://www.columbia.edu/~la202/Mad-opisth2000.html
Leif
lagartica@hotmail.com
Abrell, L., 2001 (Jan 22) Chromodoris gleniei from Madagascar. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/3572Thanks Leif,
Another useful locality record
Bill Rudman
Chromodoris gleniei from the Maldives
October 26, 2000
From: Erwin Koehler
Dear Bill,
Here are some photos of Chromodoris gleniei waving the mantle and the same individual with deformed rhinopores. Data: Maldives, Ari Atoll, Ellaidhoo Island, divesite "Orimas Thila", depth 16m, size 48mm.
Erwin
Medslugs.Koehler@t-online.de
Köhler, E., 2000 (Oct 26) Chromodoris gleniei from the Maldives. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/3245Dear Erwin,
Thanks for the photos, especially the pair showing 'mantle flapping'. Its nice to show how similar it is to the Western Pacific species Chromodoris coi.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman.
Nudibranch from the Maldives
August 25, 2000
From: Emile von Aesch
I'm an photoenthusiastic divemaster with a special interest in nudibranchs.
In April I photographed a nudibranch in the Maldives. I looked it up in the Indo-Pcific field guide of Nudibranches and Sea Snails by Helmut Debelius but I couldn't find it.
Can anybody tell me which Nudibranch this is?
Thanks a lot.
Emile von Aesch
emile@ikeva.demon.nl
von Aesch, E., 2000 (Aug 25) Nudibranch from the Maldives. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/2913Dear Emile,
This is Chromodoris gleniei, which is recorded only from the Indian Ocean. It has so many similarities to the common Pacific species Chromodoris coi that I have previously considered them to be what we call 'sibling' species - a pair of species which have evolved from a common ancestor.
If you have other photos you would like to share with the Forum they would be very welcome.
Best wishes
Bill Rudman.
Re: Nudibranch from the Maldives
August 25, 2000
From: Ron Velarde
Dear Dr. Rudman,
In your response to Emile, you listed the similarity with Chromodoris geometrica; should it be Chromodoris coi?
Thank for all your work in maintaining this site; one of the best parts of my day is checking out the forum and seeing nudibranchs from all over the world!
Ron Velarde
rgv@sdcity.sannet.gov
Velarde, R., 2000 (Aug 25) Re: Nudibranch from the Maldives. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/2932Dear Ron,
It should indeed be C. coi. Simple brain cell misfunction on my part. Thanks for the feedback. I'll change it.
Bill Rudman.
Chromodoris gleniei from the Maldives
October 17, 1999
From: Erwin Koehler
Bill,
Here is Chromodoris gleniei from the Maldives, Ellaidhoo Island, housereef, November 19, 1996, size 4,5 cm, depth 27 m.
Erwin.
Medslugs.Koehler@t-online.de
Koehler, E., 1999 (Oct 17) Chromodoris gleniei from the Maldives. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/1432Thanks Erwin,
This is an interesting species of Chromodoris. From its colour pattern it seems to be a sibling species of the western Pacific species Chromodoris coi. Originally described from Sri Lanka (Ceylon) and subsequently reported from Tanzania and the Maldives (Rudman, 1987), this species appears to have a wide Indian Ocean distribution.
Bill Rudman.
