Hypselodoris emma
Rudman, 1977
Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DORIDINA
Family: Chromodorididae
DISTRIBUTION
Throughout the tropical Indo-West Pacific.
PHOTO
UPPER RIGHT: Ras Kankadya, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 40mm long, April 1973. PHOTO: Bill Rudman.
LOWER LEFT: Pelorus Is, North Queensland, Australia, October 1983, PHOTO: Bill Rudman.
LOWER RIGHT: Cebu, Philippines,20m. March 1983. PHOTO: B.E.Picton.
The body is a pale cream or yellow with a purple or bluish border to both the foot and the mantle. there are three purple longitudinal lines on the mantle and four brownish lines whch vary in intensity in different individuals. The gills and rhinophores are a brilliant reddish orange and in Pacific specimens there is a white tip to the rhinophores.
Compare this species with Hypselodoris maridadilus and Hypselodoris whitei (=Hypselodoris mouaci).
Reference:
• Rudman, W.B. (1977) Chromodorid opisthobranch Mollusca from East Africa and the tropical West Pacific. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 61: 351-397.
Rudman, W.B., 1999 (February 19) Hypselodoris emma Rudman, 1977. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/hypsemma
Related messages
Hypselodoris emma feeding
November 27, 2007
From: Indra Swari Wonowidjojo
Dear Bill,
I photographed this Hypselodoris emma feeding during my trip in ambon and i think you will like this. It shows its buccal bulb completely everted as it feeds on a sponge.
Locality: Ambon, 10 metres, Indonesia, Ambon, 19 October 2007, Patches. Length: 6 cm. Photographer: Indra Swari Wonowidjojo
Best Regards,
Indra
.
little_ninja98@hotmail.com
Dear Indra,
Thanks very much for this observation. The slug has certainly had a meal of the part of that part of the colony, only the fibrous bundles that make up its skeleton are still present. I assume the whitish sponge it is sitting on is part of the same colony. From the arrangement of the fibres I am pretty sure it is a species of Dysidea which would fit with the only other record we have of its food choice [message #11334 ]
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Hypselodoris emma from Indonesia
April 5, 2007
From: Jim Anderson
Hello again Bill,
Here is another image from my recent trip to Raja Ampat, Indonesia which I trust will be of interest. I think it is Hypselodoris emma and hope you concur.
Locality: Kabui Strait, 9 m, Raja Ampat, Indonesia, Dampier Strait, 6 March 07, current swept channel. Length: 25 mm. Photographer: Jim Anderson.
Jim Anderson
jander4454@gmail.com
Anderson, Jim, 2007 (Apr 5) Hypselodoris emma from Indonesia. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/19790
Dear Jim,
Yes this is H. emma. I see from the gills that the current is still running.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Is this Hypselodoris emma
August 26, 2005
From: Johny Leffelaer
Dear Dr.Rudman,
While my last holiday, I took pictures of many different nudi's, with some of them, i have an i.d. problem. Please can you help me with this one? I think it is Hypselodoris emma.
Divesite: Lapus-lapus, Malapascua island, Cebu. Philippines. 16 January 2005. Depth:16 meter. Size: 4 cm. Photo: Johny Leffelaer
Johny Leffelaer
johny.leffelaer@pandora.be
Leffelaer, J., 2005 (Aug 26) Is this Hypselodoris emma. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/14630Dear Johny,
Yes this is Hypselodoris emma. It seems to have some damage to the anterior end of the mantle. Whether its a developmental mistake or regrowth after it has been injured I am not sure.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Hypselodoris emma from Mayotte
December 2, 2003
From: Marina Poddubetskaia
Dear Bill,
Could you confirm the ID of this dorid, please. I think it is Hypselodoris emma. In Mayotte I saw only one specimen of this species.
Date : November 05, 2003
Location : Mayotte Island, Indian Ocean
Site : Passe en S, buoy n° 3
Depth : 8m
Size : 20mm
Thank you very much for your great help.
Best wishes,
Marina.
nembro@nembro.info
Poddubetskaia, M., 2003 (Dec 2) Hypselodoris emma from Mayotte. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/11552Dear Marina,
Yes this is Hypselodoris emma.
Best wishes
Bill Rudman
Hypselodoris emma feeding
November 12, 2003
From: Gary Cobb
Hi Bill,
Please find attached a photo of Hypselodoris emma I found off Mooloolaba, Queensland, Australia, at a site called Castle Rock, 20m depth, 30mm long, 20 degree water. This one is a bit less tan on top than the one I sent you from Moreton Island earlier.
Cheers
Gary Cobb
gary@cobb.com.au
Cobb, G., 2003 (Nov 12) Hypselodoris emma feeding. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/11334Thanks Gary,
The exciting thing about this photo is that the animal is feeding on the pinkish sponge in the foreground. You can see the whitish foregut poking out just beneath the anterior end of the mantle. This is the first indication we have of its preferred food sponge
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Hypselodoris emma found at Flinders Reef
October 16, 2003
From: Gary Cobb
Hi Bill!
I found this animal on Flinders Reef north of Moreton Island, Queensland, Australia - 15m depth, 25mm long. I think it is Hypselodoris emma.
Thanks.
Gary Cobb
gary@cobb.com.au
Cobb, G., 2003 (Oct 16) Hypselodoris emma found at Flinders Reef. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/11158Thanks Gary,
Yes this is Hypselodoris emma.
Bill Rudman
Hypselodoris emma from Indonesia
January 30, 2003
From: Thomas Pihl
Dear Bill
Hope for some help to identify the nudi. It was found in about 10m. of water, around Pulau Weh, North Sumatra, Indonesia., May 2001.
Best,
Thomas Pihl
t-dive@adslhome.dk
Pihl, T., 2003 (Jan 30) Hypselodoris emma from Indonesia. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/9030Dear Thomas,
This is Hypselodoris emma. Sometimes the orange-brown bands between the purple lines are very indistinct.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Hypselodoris emma from Sulawesi
October 2, 2002
From: Marli Wakeling
Hi Bill,
Here is the first of many from my July, 2002 trip to Lembeh Straight. From Coleman's book, it appears to be Hypselodoris annae, but I can't locate it on the Forum.
Location: Nudi Falls, Lembeh Straight, North Suluwesi,Indonesia
Depth: 45 Feet
Length: 9 cm.
Photograph: Marli Wakeling
Regards,
Marli
scubamarli@excite.com
Wakeling, M., 2002 (Oct 2) Hypselodoris emma from Sulawesi. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/8088Dear Marli,
This is Hypselodoris emma. Coleman has 'corrected' it to Hypselodoris emmae. When I named this species after one of my daughters I deliberately treated 'emma' as a noun in apposition, rather than as an adjective, thus avoiding the need to change the spelling - and the pronunciation - from 'emma' to 'emmae'.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Hypselodoris emma mating
September 1, 2001
From: Mary Jane Adams
Hi Bill,
My buddy flipped over a rock and found these two Hypselodoris emma mating on the underside. Length: 15 mm, Depth: 15 meters,
Divesite: Retak Larry, Lembeh Straits, Sulawesi, Indonesia, 15 August 200l.
Best regards,
Mary Jane
divepng@yahoo.com
Adams, M.J., 2001 (Sep 1) Hypselodoris emma mating. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/5186Thanks Mary,
Bill Rudman
Chromodoris emma from South Japan
January 15, 2001
From: Mizuho
Dear Dr. Rudman,
I found this species in Bonotsu, Kagoshima, in southern Japan. This animal seems to be rare in this area.
Information
December 2000, Depth 10m, Water Temp 19C,
rocky slope.
Mizuho
iwa@fc4.so-net.ne.jp
Mizuho, 2001 (Jan 15) Chromodoris emma from South Japan. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/3517Dear Mizuho,
Thanks for the photo. I think this is a colour form of Hypselodoris emma. It differs from more typical specimens in having a very wide gap between the mantle border and the purple longitudinal lines. It would be interesting to see some other examples from the Japanese region to see how much variation there is in colour pattern
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman.
Re: Hypselodoris emma
February 26, 1999
From: Wayne Ellis
Hi Bill,
Just returned from central Qld, no nudis but lovely scenery.
Contacted Steve and the beast was sighted at the Gneerings, off Mooloolaba, Sth Qld, 15m January 1 1999.
Regards
Wayne
glaskin@ozemail.com.au
Ellis, W., 1999 (Feb 26) Re: Hypselodoris emma. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/619Hypselodoris emma from southern Queensland
February 19, 1999
From: Wayne Ellis
Hi Bill,
Here is a scan of Steve Grail's photo which you said on the phone might be Hypselodoris emma. Is it good enough to identify? As you can see the yellow lines Steve mentioned are not
visible.
Wayne
glaskin@ozemail.com.au
Ellis, W., 1999 (Feb 19) Hypselodoris emma from southern Queensland. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/588Dear Wayne,
Yes its Hypselodoris emma. I guess the yellow lines Steve was describing are the orange-brown lines between the purple ones. You can in fact see a trace of one of them on the right, running from just in front of the gills to about midway along the body. Could you let me know where it came from? Hopefully I will get time to put up comparative pictures of the other purple striped species I mention above.
Bill Rudman.
