Tritonia striata
Haefelfinger, 1963

Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DENDRONOTINA
Family: Tritoniidae

DISTRIBUTION

Known from the western Mediterranean

PHOTO

Menorca Island, Spain, Mediterranean Sea, 6 m, July 1989. Photo: D.L. Geiger 

The body is relatively slender and rectangular in cross-section. The oral veil has six papillae and there are four to six gill clusters arranged along the edge of the mantle, sitting opposite similar gills on the other edge. Between the gills there is a distinct mantle ridge. The body is a tranlsucent white with three characteristic thin longitudinal black lines running down the mantle. The outer lines can be broken into a series of dashes. Schmekel & Portmann (1982) report it feeding on the soft coral Paralcyonium elegans. It is a small species, seldom reaching more than 5 mm in length.

  • Haefelfinger, H.-R. (1963) Remarques biologiques et systématiques au sujet de quelques Tritoniidae de la Méditerranée (Moll. Opisthobranchia). Revue Suisse de Zoologie, 70(4): 61-76.
  • Schmekel, L. and Portmann, A. (1982) Opisthobranchia des Mittelmeeres, Nudibranchia und Saccoglossa. Fauna Flora Golfo Napoli 40: 1-410.
Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 2007 (July 17) Tritonia striata Haefelfinger, 1963. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/tritstri

Related messages


Tritonia striata from the French Mediterranean

April 14, 2010
From: Dominique Horst

Hi Bill,

This should be Tritonia striata. It is crawling on the sponge Aplysina aerophoba.
Any idea on what this species is feeding?

Locality: Banyuls, 7m, France, Mediterranean sea, 28 March 2010. Length: 12 mm. Photographer: Dominique Horst.

Many thanks in advance,
Kind regards,
Dominique

dominique.horst@wanadoo.fr

Horst, D., 2010 (Apr 14) Tritonia striata from the French Mediterranean. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/23422

Dear Dom,

Tritoniids feed on soft corals and their close relatives so its presence on the sponge colony is not significant - just one of thsoe traps we can fall into when looking for signs of feeding.

Tritonia striata has not often been reported so we don't know much about its biology. It has been reported to feed on the soft coral Paralcyonium elegans but I guess more work will need to be done to confirm whether it feeds on a variety of soft corals or is retsricted to one or a very few species.

I have added a few close-ups from your excellent photos showing the details of the rhinophores and gills.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2010 (Apr 14). Comment on Tritonia striata from the French Mediterranean by Dominique Horst. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/23422

Tritonia striata from Cyprus ?

June 2, 2008
From: Helmut Carl Simak


Concerning message #20142:

I wonder which species of Tritonia this may be. My guess is Tritonia striata but could be anything else of course. I am do not an expert on marine life but am a happy and sometimes lucky hobby photographer instead.

Locality: Cynthiana Beach Hotel Paphos, 40 cm, Cyprus, Mediteranean Sea, 03. May 2008, Small reef 15 m off the coast. Length: 16 mm. Photographer: Helmut Carl Simak.

The third picture shows some soft corals nearby on which the slug may prey on.

Helmut Carl Simak
Waidmannsdorferstr. 16/7
A 9020 Klagenfurt
Österreich/Austria

h.simak@tips.co.at

Simak, H. C., 2008 (Jun 2) Tritonia striata from Cyprus ?. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/21594

Dear Helmut,

I am not an expert on the Mediterranean fauna but I would agree with your identification as T. striata. There is another species there with a lined colour pattern, but that species - T. lineata - the  lines are white. Congratulations on finding it - the background in your photos suggests it was not easy to see.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2008 (Jun 2). Comment on Tritonia striata from Cyprus ? by Helmut Carl Simak. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/21594

Re: Tritonia striata from Malta

July 19, 2007
From: Erwin Koehler

Concerning message #20142:

Dear Bill,
here is a Tritonia striata from Spain.

Locality: El Canadell, Cala Joncols, 12 m, Spain, Mediterranean Sea, 03 May 1998. Length: 15 mm. Photographer: Erwin Koehler.

Regards,
Erwin

Erwin@Philippine-Sea-Slugs.com

Koehler, E., 2007 (Jul 19) Re: Tritonia striata from Malta. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/20250

Thanks Erwin,

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Tritonia striata from Malta

July 18, 2007
From: Patricia Peels

Dear Bill

According to our books this is Tritonia striata. Can you confirm this? We noticed that you don't have it on your website yet. Unfortunately the quality of the pictures is not great - it was quite a small nudi, as you can see in relations to the hand.

We found it floating in mid-water, but it was close to a rocky ledge.

Locality: Cirkewwa, 12 m, Malta, Mediterranean, 19 May 2007, floating in mid-water. Length: 5 mm. Photographer: Patricia Peels.

Thank you and best regards,
Patricia Peels

gmpeels@nextgen.net.mt

Peels, P., 2007 (Jul 18) Tritonia striata from Malta. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/20142

Dear Patricia,

Thanks for a new species for the Forum. I don't know much about this species, which seems to have only been seen in the western Mediterranean

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2007 (Jul 18). Comment on Tritonia striata from Malta by Patricia Peels. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/20142