Flabellina verrucosa
(M. Sars, 1829)

Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: AEOLIDINA
Family: Flabellinidae

DISTRIBUTION

Boreo-arctic from southern New England, USA in the west Atlantic to the British Isles in Europe. Also in north Pacific to the Sea of Japan.

PHOTO

UPPER: 25mm long, off Long Island, New York, USA., approx 4 meters. LOWER: Brown colour form, 25mm long, off York Beach, Maine, USA, on an old pier at about 20 feet (7 meters). PHOTOS: Betsey Hansen.

This species has a confused taxonomic history with different colour forms and animals from Europe and North America, being considered different species. It is also very similar in appearance to Flabellina gracilis. It grows to about 25mm long. It feeds on a number of thecate and athecate hydroids, and if food is short has been reported to feed on the compound ascidian Botryllus schlosseri. Kuzirian (1979) did much to sort out the confusion amongst North American names. See original plate from Sars, and discussion on whether forms with long cerata and forms with short cerata are a single species.

Comparison from Terry Gosliner message below: 'The main external characteristics for differentiating F. verrucosa from Flabellina gracilis is that the cerata are more distinctly arranged in rows in F. gracilis and there is a more prominent vestige of a notal brim in F. gracilis. Also F. gracilis has a sort of notched head between the junction of the oral tentacles and more elongate anterior margins of the foot'.

Reference:
• Kuzirian, A.M. (1979) Taxonomy and biology of four New England coryphellid nudibranchs. Journal of Molluscan Studies, 45: 239-261.
• Sars, Michael. 1829. Bidrag til soedyrene naturhistorie, Pt. 1,: pp. 1-59, pls. 1-6. Bergen.
• Thompson, T.E. & Brown, G.H. (1984) Biology of Opisthobranch Molluscs, Vol 2. Ray Society: London.

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