Flabellina dana
Millen & Hamann, 2006
Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: AEOLIDINA
Family: Flabellinidae
DISTRIBUTION
Caribbean. Reported from Windward Islands and Bahamas (Millen & Hamann, 2006) and Florida (Dupont, 2007 - message #21156 ).
PHOTO
Guana Cay, 0.5 m, Abaco, Bahamas, western Atlantic, August 8, 1998, On Sargassum attached to the substrate. Length: 8 mm. Photographer: Colin Redfern.
This is a small elongate aeolid, growing to approximately 12 mm in length, with the foot extended into a relatively long tapering 'tail'. The cerata are arranged into approximately 5 clusters down each side, one precardiac and the others behind the heart. The tapering rhinophres are annulate with up to 10 rings. The body is a translucent greyish white with very distinct opaque white markings. The head and oral tentacles are opaque white, and from the head a broad opaque white median band runs back between the rhinophores to the tip of the tail. The band is narrowest when it is passing between each pair of ceratal clusters and broadens in the gaps between each pair of ceratal clusters. A similar broad white band runs down each side of the body just below the cerata. The bright red or orange digestive gland duct is clearly visible through the translucent clear ceratal wall. At the upper tip of each digestive gland there is a narrow darker band of the orange or red. The cnidosac at the tip of each ceras is translucent white, giving each ceras a whitish tip.
- Millen, S. V. & Hamann, J.C. (2006) A New Nudibranch Species, Genus Flabellina (Opisthobranchia: Aeolidacea) from the Caribbean with redescriptions of F. verta (Marcus 1970), and F. dushia (Marcus and Marcus, 1963). Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 57: 925-936.
- Millen, S. V. (2006) Notes on Flabellina dana Millen & Hamann, 2006 from the Caribbean : A correction. Proceedingds of the Californian Academy of Sciences, 58: 241-142
Rudman, W.B., 2007 (November 26) Flabellina dana Millen & Hamann, 2006. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/flabdana
Related messages
Flabellina dana from the Bahamas
November 26, 2007
From: Colin Redfern
Dear Bill,
In response to your request for photos of Flabellina dana for the Forum, here are dorsal and ventral photos of an 8 mm specimen from Abaco, Bahamas. The photos are reproduced from Bahamian Seashells, where the species was referred to as Flabellina sp. A.
Locality: Guana Cay, 0.5m, Abaco, Bahamas, western Atlantic, August 8, 1998, On Sargassum attached to the substrate. Length: 8 mm. Photographer: Colin Redfern.
The rhinophores are not very clear in these photos, but Millen & Hamann (2006) noted that this is the only species of Flabellina with annulate rhinophores that is known from the tropical western Atlantic.
Best wishes,
Colin
shells@colinredfern.com
Dear Colin,
Thanks for this quick response to my request. There ceratinly seem to be an interesting collection of small species of Flabellina in the tropical west Atlantic. It will be interesting to see, as we learn more about the fauna of the west African coast, whether they occur there as well.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
