Noumea laboutei
Rudman, 1986
Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DORIDINA
Superfamily: EUDORIDOIDEA
Family: Chromodorididae
DISTRIBUTION
Tropical West Pacific, perhaps Indian Ocean.
PHOTO
Ilot Gi, New Caledonia, 12m, March 1982. 11mm long preserved [Holotype] PHOTO: Pierre Laboute.
RELATED TOPIC
The colour description is based on a photograph provided by Pierre Laboute and a brief note "jaune avec branchies et antennes violets" accompanying the specimen. The mantle is bright yellow and the rhinophores and gills are wine red. The simple gills are partially retracted in the photograph but it appears that the lamellae are translucent white with the inner and outer edge and tip of each gill being wine red.
Reference:
• Rudman, W.B. (1986) The Chromodorididae (Opisthobranchia: Mollusca) of the Indo-West Pacific: Noumea flava colour group. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 88: 377-404.
Rudman, W.B., 2000 (February 11) Noumea laboutei Rudman, 1986. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/noumlabo
Related messages
Noumea laboutei from New Caledonia
September 9, 2008
From: Jean-François Hervé
Concerning message #20586:
Dear Bill
I send you a photo of what I'm pretty sure is Noumea verconiforma. It's very similar Julie Marshall's photo except for the yellow pattern.
Locality: Poindimié- east coast, 15 m, New Caledonia, Pacific Ocean, May 08, Rock. Length: 3 cm. Photographer: Martin Ravanat.
Thank you for your opinion.
Best regards
Jean-François Hervé
jfherve@free.fr
Hervé, J.-F., 2008 (Sep 9) Noumea laboutei from New Caledonia. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/21781Dear Jean-François,
I am pretty sure your animal is Noumea laboutei. On reflection, I suspect Julie Marshall's animal could be a pinkish form of N. laboutei rather than N. verconiforma. The mantle glands in N. laboutei are large and prominent while in N. verconiforma they are difficult to see externally. A number of species have yellow and pink colour forms, such as Verconia verconis and Noumea haliclona so N. laboutei may have a similar colour variation.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Re: Noumea laboutei from sthn Queensland
July 14, 2006
From: Bruce Wilkie
Concerning message #16471:
Hi Bill,
I took this photo of Chromodoris splendidia and it wasn`t until I had a good look at it I found in the bottom left corner what I think could be Noumea laboutei. I know it is not all that clear as it was not the intended subject. I just goes to show how well these animals can camouflage themselves.
Locality: Flat Rock North Stradbroke Island, 12 metres, Queensland Australia, Pacific ocean, 08 July 2006, rocky reef with sponges, hard & soft corals . Length: 15mm. Photographer: Bruce Wilkie.
Many thanks,
Bruce Wilkie.
brucedwilkie@yahoo.com.au
Wilkie, B., 2006 (Jul 14) Re: Noumea laboutei from sthn Queensland. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/17104
Dear Bruce,
You are right! This is another interesting find - the first information on the food sponge of Noumea laboutei. As I suspected from its camouflage coloration it appears to feed on a yellow-orange darwinellid sponge.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Noumea laboutei from sthn Queensland
May 5, 2006
From: Bruce Wilkie
Hi Bill,
I have identified this animal as Noumea laboutei.
Could you please confirm?
Locality: Flat Rock North Stradbroke Island, 12 metres, Queensland Australia, Pacific ocean, 19 April 2006, rocky reef with sponges, hard & soft corals . Length: 35mm. Photographer: Bruce Wilkie.
Many thanks,
Bruce Wilkie.
brucedwilkie@yahoo.com.au
Wilkie, B., 2006 (May 5) Noumea laboutei from sthn Queensland. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/16471
Dear Bruce,
Yes this is N. laboutei. Almost all we know about this species is to be found on the Forum so it is good to get some more information. Your photos clealry show the reticulate sponge-like pattern on the mantle which is very similar to that seen in Noumea verconiforma and Verconia verconis and I guess help to camouflage it on its food sponge. Of particular interest are the prominent whitish mantle glands. These are rather different from those found in most species of Noumea so may be an indication of the need for more investigations into its relationships.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Noumea laboutei? from Indonesia
February 12, 2005
From: Roberto Sozzani
Dear Bill,
Reading Ian Shaw message [#13090 ], I remembered this photo, which has beenwaiting for a name for a long time. I think is the same species.
The photo is not very clear, but he was a small animal in an uncomfortable location.
Locality: Pura Is. (West Timor), Indonesia. Depth: 12 metres. Length: 15 mm. February 2003. Muddy. Photographer: Roberto Sozzani
Best wishes,
Roberto Sozzani
www.robertosozzani.it
roberto.sozzani@fastwebnet.it
Sozzani, R., 2005 (Feb 12) Noumea laboutei? from Indonesia. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/13128Dear Roberto,
This could well be Noumea laboutei . The red on the gills, and the rhinophores and the reticulate pattern on the mantle seem to be characteristic.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Noumea laboutei? from nthn New South Wales
February 10, 2005
From: Ian Shaw
Hi Bill,
Hoping you can confirm my identification, as Noumea laboutei. The animal was photographed at North Solitary Island, northern NSW on 1 January 2004. Depth was 25 m and it was found on a sandy bottom in a rocky gutter. Animal length was about 15mm.
Locality: North Solitary Island, NSW, Australia. Coral Sea. Depth: 25 m. Length: 15 mm. 01 January 2004. sandy gutter/rocky reef. Photographer: Ian Shaw
Thanks,
Ian Shaw
shawdive@bigpond.net.au
Shaw, I.V., 2005 (Feb 10) Noumea laboutei? from nthn New South Wales. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/13090Dear Ian,
I am pretty sure you are right, but I would been to look at its anatomy to be sure, as we don't know much about this species. In fact I am pretty sure an earlier message on the Forum [#1802] refers to this species. It looks like David & Leanne Atkinson's animal had been damaged, probably slightly eaten! I called it Chromodoris sp. 1.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Noumea laboutei in the Red Sea?
November 6, 2002
From: Dean Lea
Hello Dr. Rudman,
I have just come back from a very enjoyable weeks diving in the Red Sea and while on a night dive on the wreck of the Thistlegorm, found a tiny (~6mm) nudibranch. It was at a depth of 18m, on a section of iron decking sparsley covered in the filamentous algae. Unfortunately I had not taken my camera with me (how predictable!) and so have no image to offer you; however, I have made an extensive search through your excellent species list and my mental image most closely resembles that of Noumea laboutei. It's species page states that it can be found in the Indo-Pacific and possibly the Indian Ocean, so would it be beyond the realms of possibility to also find it in the Red Sea? If not, can you think off-hand of any other species it may have been? I understand the information I have supplied is hardly exhaustive, but any help you may provide would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Kind regards,
Dean.
dean@lea.com
Lea, D., 2002 (Nov 6) Noumea laboutei in the Red Sea?. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/8353Dear Dean,
The known possibilities are compared on the Noumea flava colour group page. That is not to say you didn't see an unknown yellow species. Why I noted that Noumea laboutei possibly occurred in the Indian Ocean is that there is a photo in Debelius (1996) from the Seychelles of this species. If anyone has photos of this species from any locality other than New Caledonia I would be very interested in hearing of it.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
