Calma gobioophaga

Morten Bjørn Larsen When I showed this photo to some non diving friends, they asked if a nudi gets blinded or annoyed by the flash... Do they?

Jongrak Lee They have rhinophores, a sensory organ which is shaped like antena, instead of eyes... they're stimulated both by chemicals n physical touches.

Jongrak Lee With my experience, it seems that they get more relaxed n better narcotized in dark conditions.

João Pedro Silva But they do have eyes (visible in this photo at the base of the left rhinophore). Of course, sight is not their best developed sense and I don't think they see images and in most cases aren't even capable of determine the direction of the light.

René B. Andersen I have to try several times where they change direction when I use focus lights so they registers something, and it's not just once but every time I change position, it kept running away from me

João Pedro Silva Some do more than others... and it also depends on what they're doing (simply crawling, "sniffing", spawning, feeding, mating...). There's one particular case which puzzles me: Felimare picta. They sometimes (not always) show a significant depression in the position of the eyes, a process which is part of the evolution of the eye to allow for the detection of the direction. http://www.flickr.com/photos/jpsilva1971/6215369109/

Jongrak Lee I have not saw nor heard an aeolid nudis having eye spot, yet. Some aplysiomorph do.

João Pedro Silva Jongrak Lee, it's visible in Morten's photo, can't you see it? I can show quite a few from other species.... just a few examples: - Calma glaucoides: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jpsilva1971/7427839434/ - Calma gobioophaga: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jpsilva1971/7229842190/ - Dondice banyulensis: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jpsilva1971/9462773034/ - Flabellina babai: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jpsilva1971/8960759043/ - Facelina annulicornis: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jpsilva1971/9361233378/ etc etc etc

Jongrak Lee Yeah, I'll check it out.:-)

Jongrak Lee I was mistakingly wrong. Got confused with sth else. Thank you for your comment.

Hilde Sæterøy Palladino Beautiful picture!

David Fenwick Snr Confusing me this one! Found by my partner Carol at Carnsew Pool, Hayle, Cornwall, yesterday It was under a rock with goby eggs. Pretty good camouflage! Thanks.

David Fenwick Snr Was about 4-5mm

Marco Faasse I suggest to check whether it could be Calma gobioophaga, described in 2002: http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/calmgobi

David Fenwick Snr It appears to be similar Marco and closer than Eubranchus or Cuthona which I thought it originally might be. Where to go next with it is the question?

Marco Faasse Might be important to have ethanol material from the British Isles. I don't know whether it has been recorded there before. I believe I saw it in Brittany in 2010.

David Fenwick Snr Sadly I didn't preserve it, oh dear!

Ian Smith Hi David, I agree with Marco. Jakov Prkic is also very keen to get British Calma material for comparison with his Croatian specimens. I'm sure he'd love to see your image if you would email it to him. He sometimes finds 150 C. gobioophaga under a single stone with Goby eggs. He's seen Marco's Brittany image and thinks its the same as his C. gobioophaga, except his are bigger because on eggs of Gobius cobitis, a larger fish sp.

David Fenwick Snr Have three Cornish records for Calma glaucoides, pre. 1959 - 1995, two with a few miles of home. I guess if C. gobioophaga has only recently been split, these records are no help at all, the only good thing being the fact that the species was definately on Goby eggs and looks very much similar.

João Pedro Silva No doubt regarding being Calma. Besides the food source, C. glaucoides has shorter propodial tentacles than C. gobioophaga. Gonçalo Calado is the best person to check these. Photos of both spp. can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jpsilva1971/tags/calmaglaucoides http://www.flickr.com/photos/jpsilva1971/tags/calmagobioophaga

Gonçalo Calado it is Calma gobioophaga. Perhaps the nothernmost confirmed record of the species although T.E.Thompson already pictured two "forms" of Calma galucoides in his book.

David Fenwick Snr Thank you for looking at it Gonçalo, much appreciated. Will make sure it's recorded.

David Fenwick Snr Gonçalo, from the images you have seen here can I ask what are the main characteristics you've seen that have helped you in determining this species. I'm asking this because I know others will ask the same question on supplying the record.

Gonçalo Calado I start by the propodial tentacles that in this case can be a bit misleading. They use to be shorter in C glaucoides. But the eyes (big in comparison to C glaucoides) are very distinctive and, above all, the fact the animal is in pear-shaped fish eggs, i. e. gobiid eggs, is the best indicator. This apperars to be a small individual and the eyes are already very distinctive underneath the basis of the rhinophores.

David Fenwick Snr Thank you very much indeed.

Marco Faasse This supposed C. gobioophaga from Brittany is somwhat different from the British one: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=439222672822248&set=oa.357735087671111&type=1&theater

Gonçalo Calado indeed. A detail of its head is appreciated

David Fenwick Snr Looks a good deal older.

Marco Faasse detail head: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=439226156155233&set=oa.357735087671111&type=1&theater

Gonçalo Calado It's an adult, mature, C. gobioophaga. The eyes are big as well. Cerata accumulate undigested material from the fish eggs, with the denser part at the insertion. Very typical when the animal eats developed eggs, rather than pure yolk.

Marco Faasse they were adults indeed : http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=439231922821323&set=oa.357735087671111&type=1&theater

Erling Svensen I have some problems with this one. Flabellina something, but what? All help is appreciated....

Arne Kuilman Flabellina pellucida, see http://www.seawater.no/fauna/mollusca/Fpellucida.html (I assumend you saw in in Norway?)

Christian Skauge I agree I think - a very pale F. pellucida :-)

Gonçalo Calado it resembles a lot Calma glaucoides, or Calma gobioophaga. Was it on a fish spawn?

Erling Svensen Clever people in this group. Thanks!

Erling Svensen Sitting on a kelp leaf. Very small one, only 1 cm long.

John de Jong Nice pic.

Torjus Haukvik I was also thinking Calma. If thats correct, it's the 4th documented find in Norway.

Torjus Haukvik C. glaucoides to be spesific.

João Pedro Silva Here's a recent shot of C. gobioophaga: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jpsilva1971/7229842190/

Erling Svensen I agree, I DO looks like the C. glaucoides. http://www.seaslugforum.net/showall/calmglau

David Kipling The cerata have the wrong "feel" for a Flabellina. They seem to be in vertically-held pairs (or threes), and are quite thick. I've never seen a Calma but I agree it is a much better match. How exciting!

Torjus Haukvik I looked at the description in Thompson and Brown (1984), and the description on Sea Slug Forum how to distinguish if from C. gobioophaga, and I would say C. glaucoides.

Gonçalo Calado The picture matches C. glaucoides, yes, despite propodial tentacles are a bit larger that I'm used to. Friele & Hansen (1875) described this species for the Norwegian coasts as Eolis albicans, but the original description matches that of Alder & Hancock (1845-55).

Becky Hitchin gobioophaga? does it eat goby eggs?

Gonçalo Calado Yes. At least Gobius niger in Portugal

Becky Hitchin ah, it's nice when the Latin makes sense :)

Gonçalo Calado That was the point when naming the new species ;)

David Kipling Doris inconspicua. Still haven't found one of those ...

João Pedro Silva Calma gobioophaga Local: Arrábida, Portugal Spot: Arflor Profundidade: 15m Data: 19-05-2012

João Pedro Silva As some of you are aware, me and Gonçalo Calado are just finishing a field guide on portuguese sea slugs with a particular focus on Algarve. We're including 114 species but there are 4 for which we still don't have photos: Cuthona genovae Cuthona thompsoni Cuthona willani Onchidoris depressa If you have some photos of these species (it can be from another place unless there are some very clear variations along the distribution range) and would like to contribute to this field guide (copyright retained by you, of course, with authorship clearly mentioned and a signed copy delivered to you), please send me a message. Thanks!

Gary Cobb Is it possible to say why you are using Cuthona??

Gary Cobb I am building an iPhone App for the Eastern Atlantic -Nudibranch ID and the species list contains 852 species. The area covered is from the Norway down to Cape Town. Good luck Joao!

João Pedro Silva Because of this, Gary: http://www.seaslugforum.net/showall/cuthonadisc

João Pedro Silva Also, the latest Iberian checklist also uses Cuthona: http://www.inoxnet.com/portisub/files/CatalogoIbericoOpistobranquios2006.pdf

João Pedro Silva I've yet to find the reference for the general use of Trinchesia instead of Cuthona (except for Cuthona nana).

Gary Cobb Trinchesia instead of Cuthona We feel that Michael Miller’s paper, in the Journal of Natural History 2004 Vol. 38 Issue 9, being the most recent work in this area coupled with his knowledge and experience with this group gives the decision to change most Cuthona to Trinchesia all the authority for acceptance that is needed. We don’t wish to refute every point made in the discussion listed above but suffice to say it is fair to accept the work until somebody puts in the time and effort to come forward with the information and the argument to dispute it. We think it should be accepted until fairly tested. We agree that science makes little incremental steps in progress and often that is just “nibbling away” at the matter. The whole nomenclature process is a fluid thing. Sure, it may change again later; it might flip flop several times but based on our current knowledge it makes sense to group species upon the currently researched and understood features. We fail to see the confusion. Some workers are by their nature “clumpers” grouping species together and others are “splitters” breaking them up into many different taxons. We don’t think Miller is guilty of being a “splitter”.

João Pedro Silva Still, I'd like to know if that particular study used material from the above species (and others of the same genus from the Atlantic). At least the abstract only mentions NZ species. WoRMS doesn't include the species I mentioned in the Trinchesia genus (http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=391297) but in the Cuthona genus (http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=138543).

Gary Cobb See new thread.

João Pedro Silva Orietta Rivolta, you have some nice shots of Onchidoris depressa on Nudipixel. Please let me know if you'd like to help us. http://www.nudipixel.net/photo/00033394/

Orietta Rivolta Ok João you can use my photos :-)))))

Gary Cobb Hey Joao! As you know I am building an iPhone App for the Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea called Nudibranch ID with so far 850 species. I came across a photo of Calma gobioophaga and would like to ask you if I may have permission to use your photos in this new App. I say photos meaning if I come across any other of your photos may I have permission. Your photos will have your name on each one and listed in the Contributing Photographers thank you view. If you have an iPhone I will send you a promo code for a free App. Thank you.