Halcampa chrysanthellum

Angela Gall Can anyone tell me if this is Halcampa chrysanthellum please? I haven't seen it before. It was in a seagrass bed at Looe, Cornwall and it retracted into the sand when I got too close.

Marco Faasse Little doubt about that. Only Peachia cylindrica is similar, but Peachia has longer tentacles and a lobed protuberance on one side of the mouth. Nice find. I've seen it only twice, in Scotland.

Angela Gall Thanks very much Marco, yes it did look quite different from Peachia cylindrica. I had better submit a record then!

Bernard Picton I think this is a partially contracted Peachia cylindrica. It's difficult without a scale (Halcampa is usually much smaller) but there is something about the taper of the tentacles. As Marco says there is a three-lobed conchula at the mouth in Peachia, this one seems to have the mouth partially everted.

Marco Faasse I'm afraid Bernard is right. It's certainly not a normally expanded Peachia and the tentacle length relative to disc diameter fits Halcampa better. BUT Halcampa has tentacles which taper only slightly and which end in a rather blunt tip.

Marco Faasse This one I identified as Halcampa chrysanthellum: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=283052001772650&set=a.255646997846484.59735.100002035584345&type=3&theater

Angela Gall Ok, thanks, I saw a couple of them and they both had these short stubby tentacles. I'm not able to view your image Marco I think we have to make friends first! I'm going to post one more image just in case it provides more info.

Angela Gall Thanks I can see it now, they are so similar! but I do see what you mean about the blunt ended tentacles. I'm not sure what it was doing with its mouth, maybe I should have waited longer for it to settle down after coming up out of the sand. It was very small, I'd say 2cm across including tentacles.

Marco Faasse Tentacle span of Halcampa I've seen was less than 2 cm, Peachia may reach 12 cm, so that's not conclusive. The habitat doesn't help either, eelgrass meadows are perfect for Halcampa. Maybe you'll get an opportunity to return to the spot in the future?

Angela Gall I'm going to have to go back, it's not too far away, I'll tell some others to be on the look out for it as well.