Cumanotus cuenoti
Pruvot-Fol, 1948

Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: AEOLIDINA
Family: Cumanotidae

DISTRIBUTION

Known on ly from Arcachon, SE [Atlantic] coast of France.

PHOTO

 'Hortense', Cap Ferret, Arcachon Basin, France, Atlantic coast . February  2005. Size : 6-9 mm .Depth : 5-6 m. on their food Ectopleura dumortieri. Photographer: Marina Poddubetskaia

Very similar to Cumanotus beaumonti. this species is apparently smaller, not exceeding 10 mm in length, and lacks oral and propodial tentacles. It also has fewer denticles on the radular teeth. Cumanotus cuenoti feeds on Tubularia, and Ectopleura dumortieri (see Tardy & Gantes, 1980). It swims by vigorous wriggling of the body and cerata. 

At present this species is known only from Arcachon, on the SE Atlantic coast of France. The larger C. beaumonti has previously only been reported from the British Isles and Norway, where it is considered to be very rare, and is reported in the Forum from the Mediterranean. Some authors have considered C. cuenoti to be a synonym of C. beaumonti, their differences perhaps being related to size.

• Pruvot-Fol,A (1948): Deux aeolidiens d'Arcachon. Journal de Conchyliologie 88(3), 97-100
• Tardy J. & Gantes H. 1980. Un Mollusque Nudibranche peu connu : Cumanotus cuenoti A. Pruvot-Fol, (1948) ; redescription, biologie. Bulletin de la Société zoologique de France, 105: 199-207.

Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 2005 (April 12) Cumanotus cuenoti Pruvot-Fol, 1948. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/cumacuen

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