[sihaya]

Sorry I can't use photobucket to post the images, they're down for maintenance. But check it out...

[sihaya]

Btw, anyone have a guess as to what this guy eats? He always acts like he's looking for something. I don't think I've seen him actually eating anything yet.

[Poseidon]

No guess on the ID Sara, but it sure is cool. He must have come in on a rock?

[zhenya]

Sara,

Do you have a larger image of the critter? Also, is there a shell (translusent or otherwise) visible? I can make out rhinophores but not much of anything else on it's body. Better picture would help to determine if it belongs to the Nidibranchs or the Sacoglossans.
In any case, you may have better luck posting your questions and photographs at the seaslugforum here and, alternatively, if you wish to simply browse the species list here.

PS. I personally think it is some type of Sacoglossan but my opinion counts for little with this things...

[Ninong]

Gene,

Even I can see that it's not a nudibranch!

If that's a nudibranch, I need another eye operation.

[zhenya]

Originally Posted by Ninong

Gene,

Even I can see that it's not a nudibranch!

If that's a nudibranch, I need another eye operation.

Well...

I sort of knew it was not a nudibranch but the wise choice is to provide links and doubt yourself....

[greenbean36191]

You better start scheduling that operation.

It's an arminid nudibranch. They feed on soft corals and usually come into the hobby on things like clove polyps.

[jsheffel]

Originally Posted by greenbean36191

You better start scheduling that operation.

It's an arminid nudibranch. They feed on soft corals and usually come into the hobby on things like clove polyps.

You're thinking it's this?

Dermatobranchus cf. semistriatus


Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: ARMININA
Family: Arminidae

PHOTO



South Coast KwaZulu-Natal, SOUTH AFRICA. Shelly Beach (near Port Shepstone) - 32m, 5 March 2000. Size: 20mm. PHOTO: Valda Fraser.
Very similar to Dermatobranchus semistriatus Baba, 1949, described from Japan, but that species lacks the black crescentic mark halfway down the mantle. See message below.
Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 2000 (March 12) Dermatobranchus cf. semistriatus [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factshee...base=dermcfsem

[sihaya]

Originally Posted by greenbean36191

You better start scheduling that operation.

It's an arminid nudibranch. They feed on soft corals and usually come into the hobby on things like clove polyps.

This would make perfect sense if I'm an idiot and mistook my "pipe-organ" coral for a clove coral... which indeed seems to be the case. I first found it on the clove coral.

So, how much clove coral does it need to eat to stay alive? Can I let the liitle guy stay without totally killing my clove coral?

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by greenbean36191

You better start scheduling that operation.

Well, I learned something new today.

Actually, I learned two new things today:

(1) Arminids have no dorsal processes other than a pair of lamellate rhinophores. The gills are located under the overhang of the back and are not visible from above. I have always thought that for an animal to be a nudibranch it must have visible exposed gills (nudi = exposed, branch = gill). So that's something I didn't know before.

(2) I learned that thanks to DNA sequencing, the Class Gastropoda has been reorganized into two new Subclasses: Eogastropoda and Orthogastropoda. No more Subclass Opisthobranchia, which is where Arminids were previously included.

The Subclass Eogastropoda appears to have only one Order: Patellogastropoda.

The Subclass Orthogastropoda appears to have five Orders: Vetigastropoda, Caenogastropoda, Neritimorpha, Heterobranchia, Cocculiniformia.

OK, here's where it gets tricky. I'll take a wild guess and assume that I want to look under Heterobranchia. Under Heterobranchia, I have a choice of Unplaced or Heterostropha. I'm going with Unplaced. Under Unplaced, I find old Pulmonata, Opisthobranchia, Unplaced and Pulmonata.

I think I'll take Opisthobranchia for $200, Alex.

Thanks, Alex. How about giving me Arminidae for $400.

Now it seems that I have to choose between two genera: Armina and Dermatobranchus.

OK, at this point, I quit. I'm not going any further.

I do have one question though: If Nudibranchea is no longer a valid Order, what do we call "nudibranchs" now?

[sihaya]

Mike: do you know anything more about him? Is he going to get bigger? (assuming I let him eat my clove coral?)

[CSeaSee]

Originally Posted by Ninong

I do have one question though: If Nudibranchea is no longer a valid Order, what do we call "nudibranchs" now?

Sea Slugs!
There go the new biology textbooks the school just ordered...

This turned into quite the interesting thread!

[Ninong]

I'll take Dermatobranchus for $600, Alex!

Anyone care to identify it to species?



P.S. -- I cheated. I consulted a molluscan expert to get the genus.

[Reefland]

We've just seen a small, 1/4", sea slug in our tank. I will work on getting a picture tomorrow. This guy is sky blue in color with brown on the backside. Pretty cool.

[Reefland]

Not to hijack your thread Sara, but here is an image of the little guy we found today. It is slightly blurry because I enlarged the image to show it better, and adjusted the color to show the slugs true color. This picture was taken with the lights off so it needed some adjustments.

[Poseidon]

WOW! Sara, I hate to tell you, but Scott's slug is much prettier then your slug.

Scott, the only downside to having a pretty slug, is I here they don't usually live long in captivity.

[greenbean36191]

I learned that thanks to DNA sequencing, the Class Gastropoda has been reorganized into two new Subclasses: Eogastropoda and Orthogastropoda. No more Subclass Opisthobranchia, which is where Arminids were previously included.

I wouldn't take this as gospel. As with most classification systems this is up for debate. For a long time it's been known that the older system for classifying gastropods didn't represent true phylogeny, but I wouldn't say it's settled. So far, only a few of the groups you mentioned are widely accepted.

I imagine that regardless of the taxonomic status of the term, "nudibranch" will always hold the same meaning.

Sorry Sara, I don't know much about these slugs. These are one of the groups I have no experience with.

[greenbean36191]

Scott, do you have any other pictures of your little guy? The picture kind of has me stumped. It looks like it has the body shape of a cephalaspidean, but the coloration of a elysiid.

[kevinpo]

Hi Sara,
Yes it is full grown and will kill off the coral over time. It is best to remove these from the coral when you find them. We get them from time to time on our imported corals.

Regards,
Kevin

[Reefland]

Originally Posted by greenbean36191

Scott, do you have any other pictures of your little guy? The picture kind of has me stumped. It looks like it has the body shape of a cephalaspidean, but the coloration of a elysiid.

Mike,

I will see what I can do. I just looked around and didn't see it in the tank anywhere. As soon as I do I will snap a few more.