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FAQs about Nudibranch Identification 5

Related Articles: Nudibranchs, Sea Slugs,

Related FAQs: Nudi ID 1, Nudi ID 2, Nudi ID 3, Nudibranch ID 4, Nudibranch ID 6, Nudibranch ID 7, & Nudibranchs 1, Nudibranchs 2, Berghia Nudibranchs, Nudibranch Behavior, Nudibranch Compatibility, Nudibranch Selection, Nudibranch Systems, Nudibranch Feeding, Nudibranch Disease, Nudibranch Reproduction, & Sea Slugs, Marine Snails 1, Marine Snails 2, Marine Snails 3,

Nudibranch ID: Glaucus atlanticus 3/16/09
Hi,
<Hello, Lynn here this evening>
I was on vacation when I came across this Nudibranch in New Smyrna beach in northeast Florida. He looks just like this.... http://www.naturalsciences.org/education/deepsea/images/nudibranch.jpg
<Beautiful little creature.>
He's still alive...I just need to know what kind of Nudibranch he is.
<Its an Aeolid Nudibranch known as Glaucus atlanticus that floats around the water surface upside down and is known to feed on Portuguese man-of-war (Physalia spp.). By the way, this creature is capable of delivering a nasty sting thanks to its ability to store the Physalia venom, so whatever you do, avoid all skin contact! For more information, please see the following links: http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet.cfm?base=glauatla
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glaucus_atlanticus >
I want to keep him alive because he is very beautiful.
<Yes, it is very beautiful but has a specialized diet and will not survive long in captivity. As long as the animal has been kept by itself (not mixed with livestock in an established marine system), the best thing to do is return it to the wild asap. Take care, Lynn>

Someone else's image

Re: Nudibranch ID: Glaucus atlanticus 3/17/09
<Hi>
Thank you lots, but it died this morning.
<Im so sorry.>
I cried because it was so pretty.
<Not to mention the loss of life.>
Next time I see one on the beach, and if it's alive, I'll pick it up with a clam shell and fling it back into the ocean.
<Good thinking. Although tempting, it really is for the best to leave wild creatures in their natural habitat.>
Now it's my new favorite ocean dweller, even though it's basically the most poisonous thing in all the oceans.
<Well, they're not as bad as box jellyfish, geographic cone snails/Conus geographus, or blue-ringed octopus, but I sure wouldn't want to test it!>
Pretty but dangerous that's how it goes sometimes
<Yes indeed.>
lol...I see though that no one sells them probably because they are too expensive to take care of :P
<Unfortunately, that hasn't stopped other such creatures from being offered for sale, but in this case there's probably just not enough potential profit to be made. Lets hope it stays that way! Take care, Lynn>

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Sea Slug ID Please Possible Dermatobranchus sp. Nudibranch - 1/18/08 <Hello there, Lynn here this evening.> I just found this. It is about an inch long and I took a good photo of it. I need to know if its good or not before I release it from its Tupperware container with holes poked in it. I have been searching the net for a good hour now so I gave up and am now asking you for help. <Heheee! You searched for a whole hour, huh? You were just getting started! Okay, Ill let you off the hook this time. :-) What you have looks a lot like a Nudibranch in the Family Arminidae, namely a species of Dermatobranchus. Please see the following link for photo comparison and additional information: http://www.seaslugforum.net/showall.cfm?base=dermspp These prey on soft corals, so if you have any in your system, I wouldn't put that little guy back in! For more information on Nudibranchs, please see this WWM link (see Pt. 6 for captive care information): http://www.wetwebmedia.com/nudibran.htm Take care, Lynn>

Nudibranch and baby ? 12/11/08 G'Day Guys and Gals, <Rick from Oz> I'm hoping you can educate me on this little fella who turned up in my reef tank. (Image 1). I'm assuming it's a Nudi of some description. <Is...> Odd thing is I had a Chromodoris elizabethina that showed up dead one morning with no apparent cause. I promptly removed it from the tank but that very evening this showed up. <Mmm, coincidence> Hopefully the pics are ok but if not I'll attempt to describe it. <They're very nice... looks to be a Phyllodesmium species...> If you imagine a sheep with no legs or head, that's pretty much what it looks like. Hence, I called him ?Woolly? :0) Its about 2 Ã'½ - 3 ? long when extended. I pulled it out of the reef tank and put him in the QT until I could find out if he is reef safe or not. I'm guessing no, but being such a cool looking animal I am reluctant to dispose of it. Also, in image 3, just under the lip of the ?castle tower? on the right side, you will notice what appears to be white squiggles. <Eggs...> The creature had sat in this location for a period of time and when he moved this ?squiggle? remained. It appears to pulse and looks to be thickening up, could it be off spring? <In your tank at least, yes> Your help is much appreciated Kindest regards Rick from Oz <Do a bit of look-seeing here on the Net... in particular your countryman's SeaSlugForum.net... Bob Fenner>

Re: Much more re: Nudibranch and baby ? -12/11/08 Hi Bob, <Hello Lynn! Long time no chat> Hope you're doing well after all your travels, it's good to have you back! Hey, I was looking over the queries last night before heading to bed and saw one regarding a white Nudibranch sent in by Rick from Oz. I didn't have time to tackle it then and didn't want to grab it if I couldn't get to it right away. Anyway, I figured I'd snap it up if it was still there this morning. Unfortunately, it was already gone and the dailies weren't out yet - but I was still curious as to what species Rick might have. I thought I'd seen something similar a while back, but couldn't remember the name - Arrghhh! <Mmm, yes... if memory serves, you identified a member of this genus not long ago> The bottom line is that after doing some research, I saw that you'd answered the query (thanks for that!) and discovered that we'd come to the same conclusion - that the Nudibranch was likely something in the genus Phyllodesmium. I got lucky and found a species that may be it, or similar, and if so, Rick might want to get it out of there. In the main photo he sent (Image 1), the Nudibranch is right next to what looks like a softie of some sort. I'm not sure what type it is, but the Nudibranch species I'm thinking of (Phyllodesmium magnum) has a taste for softies/Octocorals - as in yikes! It sounds like they get pretty large too - hence the term "magnum" I guess! At 2-3", his is already up there in size! Anyway, here are some photos I found for comparison and there are many more at seaslugforum.net through the links below http://www.koretz.net/Eilat/Invertebrates/Molluscs/Nudibranchs/Pages/Pmagnum-1.htm Factsheet on the species: http://seaslugforum.net/factsheet.cfm?base=phylmagn http://seaslugforum.net/display.cfm?id=7558 I'm not 100% sure that's what species Rick has, but it's close enough that I think it warrants keeping a close eye on those corals! Take care, -Lynn <I do agree with you entirely... Will look, find and send this info. to Rick. Cheers and happy holidays. BobF>

Chris/Pullz in Kona, diving, making pix... w/a rare find? 10/23/08 I thought this was a Turberculous but it was correctly identified as a Carbunculosa, if my eyes are seeing things right.... The white line on the eyes seemed to be correct.... thoughts? Chris <Pullz... you shot this pic in HI? This Dendrodoris is not listed as coming from there... I've never seen this species there... You might want to send this along to SeaSlugForum.net. Cheers, Bob/DF>

Slug/Nudibranch ID Help Please 11/15/08 Good Evening - <And morrow to you> Hope you all are well. I was wondering if you folks could identify this creature that I found in my tank last night. Of course, I've always heard the saying, "When in doubt, take it out," which is what I did; however, I just wanted to be sure I did the right thing. Thanks - Wes <Mmm, well... does appear to be a Nudibranch... I'd leave in unless it's eating something/s valuable. Bob Fenner>

Nudibranch Photos-1 10/23/08 Dear Bob, <Geo.>Your help.. once again. This Nudibranch was found in Atalya (North Aegean) by a friend. Can you help to ID it ?? <Mmm, pretty sure it's of the genus Flabellina: http://wetwebmedia.com/MolluscPIX/Gastropods/Opistobranchs/Nudibranchs/nudibran6.htm But I'd send this (and all other Opistobranch ID questions) to the SeaSlugforum.net> Many thanks in advance (as usually, you can use the photo for your site... ) All the best, George <And to you my friend. Bob Fenner> -- George J. Reclos Ph.D.

FAQs about Nudibranch Identification 5

Related Articles: Nudibranchs, Sea Slugs,

Related FAQs: Nudi ID 1, Nudi ID 2, Nudi ID 3, Nudibranch ID 4, Nudibranch ID 6, Nudibranch ID 7, & Nudibranchs 1, Nudibranchs 2, Berghia Nudibranchs, Nudibranch Behavior, Nudibranch Compatibility, Nudibranch Selection, Nudibranch Systems, Nudibranch Feeding, Nudibranch Disease, Nudibranch Reproduction, & Sea Slugs, Marine Snails 1, Marine Snails 2, Marine Snails 3,

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