Thuridilla sp. 1
Order: SACOGLOSSA
Superfamily: ELYSIOIDEA
Family: Elysiidae
PHOTO
Gaira Bay, Caribbean Coast of Colombia, 2 cm long. Photo: Elianny Domínguez Tejo.
See message below.
Authorship detailsRudman, W.B., 2001 (June 14) Thuridilla sp. 1 [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/thursp1
Related messages
Re: Thuridilla? from Colombia
March 18, 2002
From: Elianny Dominguez
Dear Bill,
Here are two more pictures of the same animal in my earlier message. With the open parapodia you can see a bright yellow line on the interior edge; and behind the head there is a white spotted organ that beats like a heart, is that the heart?
Kind regards,
Elianny Dominguez.
elicelotte@latinmail.com
Dominguez,E., 2002 (Mar 18) Re: Thuridilla? from Colombia. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/5319Dear Elianny,
As I said before, it is similar to Thuridilla carlsonibut I can find no record of anything similar being recorded from the Caribbean before.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman.
Thuridilla? from Florida
March 18, 2002
From: Linda Ianniello
Hi, Bill,
To accompany my photos of the Caribbean version of Elysia ornata I have included a shot of another Elysia, that looks very much like E. ornata, except it is lacking the black parapodial margin. Instead it is cream with a yellow band through it, and the body is the characteristic speckled green. The tips of the rhinophores are a very distinctive purple. This one was found in a different location, off Deerfield Beach, Florida, at a depth of about 12'. He is very small, about 1/2 inch, smaller than the others. Is he a color variation? Or a juvenile? As usual, thanks very much for your help and I really enjoy the forum.
Regards,
Linda Ianniello
lindai@us.ibm.com
Ianniello, L., 2002 (Mar 18) Thuridilla? from Florida. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/6433Dear Linda,
This appears to be the same as the animal Elianny has found in Colombia. It looks similar to Thuridilla carlsoni from the Pacific, but without looking at its anatomy I can't say if it is a species of Thuridilla or an Elysia. I can find no record of anything similar being recorded from the Caribbean before.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Thuridilla cf. carlsoni from Colombia
June 16, 2001
From: Elianny Domínguez Tejo
Dear Bill,
We thought this was Thuridilla carlsoni. It's 2 cm long. It was found under a rock in a reef coral (at 25 ft), on a beach call “Playa Blanca” (Gaira Bay, Caribbean Coast of Colombia). The rhinophores are dark purple (they're not quite clear on the photo) and there is also a dark purple lateral line, from the beginning of the parapodia to the eyes. The margins of the parapodia are bright yellow.
But recently, I read an article by T. Gosliner (1995, Proceedings of the California Academy of Science) describing a lot of species of the genera Thuridilla including T. carlsoni. And to tell you the truth, now we're not so sure.
Cheers,
Elianny Domínguez Tejo.
elicelotte@latinmail.com
Domínguez Tejo, E., 2001 (Jun 16) Thuridilla cf. carlsoni from Colombia. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/4523Dear Elianny,
It certainly looks similar to T. carlsoni but I think we would need to know something about its anatomy before it could be compared with that species which is know from the tropical West Pacific. To my knowledge only one species of the genus, Thuridilla picta (Verrill, 1901) is known from the Caribbean, and it is quite similar in colour to T. undula. I am sure Kathe Jensen will be able to help if it is a described species from the region but I can't fins a reference to any similar looking elysiid so you may have an unnamed species.
Reference: Marcus, E. (1980) Review of western Atlantic Elysiidae (Opisthobranchia Ascoglossa) with a description of a new Elysia species. Bulletin of Marine Science, 30(1): 54-79
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman.
