Onchidoris pusilla

George Brown First: Thank you Bernard for getting this site up and running. I frequently come up against problem species. This is an invaluable opportunity to discuss these issues with experts. Second: Blue/black onchidorid, April 2009, 20 metres of water, Loch Dunvegan, Isle of Skye, 4mm long, 60mm lens, cropped, running out of air.

Bernard Picton Thanks George, Marco Faasse has found the same animal I think. I'd like to hear Jussi Evertsen's opinion on this one.

Christian Skauge Could this be an Acanthodoris pilosa? I think we found some black/brown variants of it at last year's safari. Not 100% that was the name, though - Jussi, do you remember it?

Bernard Picton No, I'm sure it's an Onchidoris. The gills are small and transparent and the rhinophores are like Onchidoris pusilla.

João Pedro Silva Shall I place this in the "Unidentified" album?

Bernard Picton Hang on a minute - this one has black gills, but in O. pusilla they are transparent. Yes, it's definitely unidentified, if not to say un-named. I've been puzzling over it since George found it. Lin Baldock has also photographed one, so we need to gather them together.

João Pedro Silva I'm trying to figure out a way to move this to the unidentified album... not sure how so far.

Bernard Picton Ok João, now you've lost me, I don't know how you got the other one in there.

João Pedro Silva I've opened the album and then uploaded the photos into it.

Christian Skauge My best guess would have to be O. sparsa, otherwise it's something I've never seen before. A strange one for sure!

Bernard Picton O. sparsa has extra large tubercles at the base of the rhinophores.. http://www.habitas.org.uk/marinelife/species.asp?item=W13380

Bernard Picton O. pusilla has transparent gills... http://www.habitas.org.uk/marinelife/species.asp?item=W13370

Christian Skauge Right you are... enough guesswork - I give up. This one is definitely beyond me ;-)

João Pedro Silva I think it's easier for George Brown to upload the image again into the Unidentified set: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.167103413400947&type=1

Christian Skauge Don't we lose the comments then?

João Pedro Silva well, the discussion will stay here, aswell as the photo.

João Pedro Silva I've only put the other photos there after there was some discussion on as previous post (not a photo though but a link)... as it was inconclusive, I've uploaded the photos.

Christian Skauge Ahh, okay - get it :-)

Kate Lock looks like a nudi that has been feeding on caviar!

Marco Faasse This species has several unusual characters. One of them is that along the mantle edge, at regular intervals, triangular parts of the mantle seem to be missing. When the slug contracts these gaps close.

Christian Skauge I don't think there's anything missing - seems to be close to transparent in "colour" to me.

Marco Faasse Maybe transparant, seems more likely. I don't understand why these parts disappear during contraction.

Christian Skauge They do? How do you know - have you seen this one before?

Bernard Picton Are they not pale patches Marco?

Marco Faasse I watched it through a stereomicroscope. After contraction a tiny whitish stripe remains. Maybe they are transparent parts which contract more strongly?

Joshua Hallas if anyone finds any of these please inform me and PLEASE collect them. I have the one from Marco Faasse and am in need of more....

Joshua Hallas CALLING ALL NUDI LOVERS....i'm working on a phylogeny of Onchidorididae and i have a possible new species. If anyone is willing to collect Onchidorids from Europe please contact me. I really need Adalaria loveni and O. pusilla

Antoni López-Arenas Cama Maybe I could collect some Onchidoris like this from mediterranean sea: http://www.flickr.com/photos/alopezarenas/4612575313/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/josep_lluis_peralta/7138819091/ Dou you think it's Onchidoris pusilla?

Joshua Hallas i was wondering if anyone lives or frequents the Isle of Man

Sarah Bowen No, but I know someone who does now live there. He's a keen Seasearch diver; don't think he does FB though so isn't on here. Any particular reason?

Bernard Picton Christine did the 3rd year of her degree course at the marine station in Port Erin. Unfortunately Liverpool University have closed the station, but I'd have contacts on the island...

Joshua Hallas I'm looking for any and all onchidorids from that area, specifically Onchidoris pusilla. The radula of a potentially new species is extremely similar to O. pusilla. So DNA and anatomy is important for me to verify that what i have is different from O. pusilla. I know that Miller was able to find lots of O. pusilla back in the 50's and right now its towards the end of their spawing time. So if your contacts Sarah Bowen and Bernard Picton are able to help me out that would mean a lot.

Bernard Picton Miller collected most of his specimens by dredging I think, looking on dead bivalve shells and other substrata with encrusting bryozoa. I do have some Bouin's fixed specimens of O. pusilla I think, but have not seen it for years. The best place to look is under stones and rocks, which divers don't usually do.

Joshua Hallas if you end up finding those Bouin's fixed O. pusilla i would love to see them because than the radual and the reproductive system would be able to looked.....

Bernard Picton OK, Josh, I got some Onchidoris muricata and Adalaria proxima into ethanol for you last week, so I'll send a package.

Joshua Hallas thanks a lot, hopefully O. pusilla might shine a light on the black onchidorid from scotland