Siphopteron sp. 4

Order: CEPHALASPIDEA
Superfamily: PHILINOIDEA
Family: Gastropteridae

PHOTO

Cabilao island, Philippines. Length 7 + 9mm, Depth 16m, 04 May 2003.

The orange-red siphon and flagellum, and the opaque whitish edge to the parapodia, suggest this could be a pale version of Siphopteron quadrispinosum. It looks quite like the photo in Gosliner (1989), but clearly we know little about colour variability in these species at present.

Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 2003 (September 11) Siphopteron sp. 4 [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/siphsp4

Related messages


Re: Siphopteron sp. from the Philippines

December 18, 2008
From: Teresa Zuberbühler


Concerning message #10945:

Dear Bill
I send you here some pictures of species of Siphopteron which are similar to Siphopteron sp. 4 but with slight color differences. New species or color variations?

All found on very exposed areas in strong current.

Locality: Komodo islands, 20-25m, Indonesia, Pacific, 2. August 2003 and 22. July 2004, rubble area. Length: ca. 2cm. Photographer: Teresa (Zubi) Zuberbühler.

Teresa Zuberbühler.

webmaster@starfish.ch

Zuberbühler, T., 2008 (Dec 18) Re: Siphopteron sp. from the Philippines. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/21600

Dear Zubi,

Thanks for these interesting photos. The upper two photos certainly look like the animal I am calling Siphopteron sp. 4. but which Terry Gosliner [message #10964 ] suspects is a colour form of Sagaminopteron ornatum. Interestingly your lower photo is of an animal that matches the 'typical' Japanese colour form of S. ornatum - which raises the question of whether the rather different eastern Australian animal is a separate species or just a colour variant. Unfortunately, this is one of those questions which just give rise to more questions, and no immediate answers.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2008 (Dec 18). Comment on Re: Siphopteron sp. from the Philippines by Teresa Zuberbühler. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/21600

Siphopteron sp. 4? from the Philippines

January 14, 2004
From: Erwin Köhler


Dear Bill,
here are 2 shots of what I think to be either Siphopteron sp. 4 or something else. It is from Lipayo, Negros Oriental Is., Philippines Ids, divesite "El Dorado" housereef.
The specimens in my earlier message from Cabilao had white borders and a white ring at the end (dont know how it is called), this specimen from Negros Oriental has red borders and a red ring. This would clearly make it NOT to be Sagaminopteron ornatum.

Any help is welcome.

data
length: 8mm
depth: 9m
date: 25 Oct. 2003
Regards
Erwin

Erwin@Philippine-Sea-Slugs.com

Köhler, E., 2004 (Jan 14) Siphopteron sp. 4? from the Philippines. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/11705

Thanks Erwin,
It's possible that this is the same as your earlier animal from Cabilao, but we don't really know enough about colour variability in these species yet to be sure. It's nice to get the photo of their egg mass.
Best wishes
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2004 (Jan 14). Comment on Siphopteron sp. 4? from the Philippines by Erwin Köhler. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/11705

Re: Siphopteron sp. from the Philippines

September 15, 2003
From: Terry Gosliner

Erwin's photo of the gastopterid looks a lot like a pale version of Sagaminopteron ornatum. We have found typical colored individuals at Cabilao Island on one of our Philippine trips. The presence of the distinct ridge anterior to the "flagellum" is also consistent with S. ornatum, but is not found in Siphopteron quadrispinosum.
Terry.

tgosliner@calacademy.org

Gosliner, T., 2003 (Sep 15) Re: Siphopteron sp. from the Philippines. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/10964

Thanks Terry,
I wondered whether that ridge was significant. However there is one, perhaps significant, difference with S. ornatum and that is the presence of a distinct median pigmented ridge down the metapodium, or posterior part of the foot. I guess we will have to wait until its anatomy is known
Cheers
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B, 2003 (Sep 15). Comment on Re: Siphopteron sp. from the Philippines by Terry Gosliner. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/10964

Siphopteron sp. from the Philippines

September 13, 2003
From: Erwin Köhler

Dear Bill,
These 2 specimens were identified by Juan Lucas Cervera as an undescribed Siphopteron. It is characterised by a pale pink/whitish colour, white borders at the parapodia and by the bright red siphons.

The shots are from the Philippines, Cabilao island, divesite "Lighthouse".
data:
length 7 + 9mm
depth 16m
date 04 May 2003
Photo: Erwin Koehler

Regards,
Erwin

Erwin@Philippine-Sea-Slugs.com

Köhler, E., 2003 (Sep 13) Siphopteron sp. from the Philippines. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/10945

Thanks Erwin,
The orange-red siphon and flagellum, and the opaque whitish edge to the parapodia, suggest this could be a pale version of Siphopteron quadrispinosum. It looks quite like the photo in Gosliner (1989), but clearly we know little about colour variability in these species at present.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B, 2003 (Sep 13). Comment on Siphopteron sp. from the Philippines by Erwin Köhler. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/10945