Scyllaea fulva Quoy & Gaimard, 1824    

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This species has been observed on Reunion and Madagascar


Order : Nudibranchia
Suborder : Dexiarchia
Superfamily : Tritonioidea
Family : Scyllaeidae
Distribution : Indo-pacific, living pelagically attached to pieces of floating kelp or Sargassum weed
Maximal size : 40 mm
Abundance : Seldom on the floattiing Sargassum

Species characteristics :

Body with two pairs of elongated dorso-lateral lobes with characteristically jagged edge, that bear branched respiratory structure and the rhinophoral sheaths are broad and flattened

Color brown to pale green with opaque white pigment and a few bright blue spots

Found on floating algae especially Sargassum where it feeds on epibiotypis hydroids

A short tail with a prominent keel

scyllaea fulva pelagica
Showing species characteristics...
Photo Christophe Cadet
Reunion, la Saline, on floating Sargassum, 16 January 2012, size : 25 mm

See more about : Sightening and mating periods

Remarks :

Identification confirmed by Nathalie Yonow
   According Pola and all, 2012 "Based on what has been found for other scyllaeids studied here, we are confident that the genetic distances observed here for the Atlantic and Pacific Scyllaea are consistent with considering them as distinct species. Amongst the many synonyms of S. pelagica, Scyllaea fulva Quoy& Gaimard, 1824, is the oldest name for specimens documented from the Indo-Pacific, having been described from New Guinea. Thus, S. fulva should be considered as the valid name for this species in the Indo-Pacific."
   Synonymous : According worms
         - Nerea punctata Lesson, 1831
         - Scyllaea dracaena Kelaart, 1858
         - Scyllaea quoyi Gray, 1850

Bibliographic data :

There are small scattered conical tubercles on the sides of the body and fine dendritic gills over the inner surface of the dorso-lateral lobes and the dorsum.
    The genital opeming is on the right side in front of the anterior lobe, and the anus lies between the two right lobes. Le opeming génital est sur le côté droit en avant du lobe antérieur , et l'anus se trouve entre les deux lobes droit.
    There are often a row of brilliant blue spots down each side of the body
    Some specimens can be identified externally by the dark brown band along the side of the body, just below the mantle edge
    Capable of swimming using lateral undulation of its body
    This species looks like Notobryon wardi :
         - There are really no external features to separate Scyllaea and Notobryon. Internally, Scyllaea differs in having a central tooth in the radula, while Notobryon does not.
         - But Scyllaea fulva are always found in the floatting sargssum while Notobryon species live on the substrate...
         - The genital opeming is on the right side in front of the anterior lobe of Scyllaea fulca and beneath the anterior end of the first lobe of Notobryon wardi

References :

Bill Rudman Seaslug site : Sea Slug Forum : Scyllea pelagica
   Nudipixel Scyllaea pelagica and Scyllae fulva

Publications :

Pola M., Camacho-Garcia Y.E. & Gosliner T.M. (2012) Molecular data illuminate cryptic nudibranch species: the evolution of the Scyllaeidae (Nudibranchia: Dendronotina) with a revision of Notobryon . Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 165: 311–336

Other photos of Scyllaea fulva :


 

David Caron

Reunion, Passe de l'hermitage, 28 September 2014,

on a floating Sargassum with its spawn

There are small scattered conical tubercles (a) on the sides of the body

Color brown to pale green with opaque white pigment and

a few bright blue spots (b)


Christophe Cadet

Reunion, la Saline, on floating Sargassum, 16 January 2012, size : 25 mm

L'ouverture génitale est sur le côté droit en avant du lobe antérieur (a)

 


Bruno Manciet

Reunion, with a floating Sargassum, 3 January 2006

There are some scattered conical tubercles (a) on the sides of the body

Color brown to pale green with opaque white pigment and

a few bright blue spots (b)

A the dark brown band (c) along the side of the body, just below the mantle edge


Sophie darnis

Reunion, with a floating Sargassum, Tour de Boucan, 29 August 2010

 

 

Body with two pairs of elongated dorso-lateral lobes with characteristically jagged edge, that bear branched respiratory structure


Philibert Bidgrain

Reunion, Aquarium de Saint Gilles, 15 June 2007, size : 10 mm

There is one specimen of Scyllaea fulca on this Sargassum....

Try to found it...


Alain-Benoît Rassat

Madagascar, Nosy Bé, on a floatting algae...

 


 More photos from Indian Ocean

Reunion, Scyllae fulva, at Boucan Canot, by Geoffrey Bertrand