Worm/Nudi ID Please

[Jeremy B.]

We just pulled two of these little guys, what appear to be some sort of Nudibranch, from a colony of green star polyps. We thought it was just some kind of weird star polyp morph, then noticed one of them moving onto the rock. What is really different about these are their "quills" have metallic green tips, so they blend in with the gsp's. Any ideas? Thanks in advance!

[pnosko]

I found a similar shaped Nudi called Flabellina pedata (http://www.medslugs.de/E/Med/Flabellina_pedata_28.htm) linked from this German Slug Site (http://webrum.uni-mannheim.de/klin/seifarth/www/slugsite.html). Following the thumbnails, it seems they vary greatly on color.

[rshimek]

Hi,

Your animal is a nudibranch, and I would say the odds are pretty good that it is predatory on your green stars.

It may be a Flabellina, but it is not F. pedata, sorry Pete :D, that species is from the Med, and wouldn't be in a tropical tank. Additionally, it is pretty good-sized, compared to these little guys.

Here is an
article (http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-09/rs/index.htm) I recently wrote about all sorts of nudibranchs in [rk]. You can follow some of the links therein, particularly the ones to the sea slug forum, for some pictures that may help you identify the animals further.

Unless you want to culture these animals, I would suggest you remove and dispose of them.

:strooper:

[Jeremy B.]

Thanks for the input guys, I appreciate it!!!

[mammon]

Jeremy,
Did you figure out what type of nudi it was? I would be very interested in knowing what type eats gsp. I have always stayed away from the nudis since many species have very selective diets and I refuse to buy an organisim that is going to starve to death after a few months. However I have green star polyp growing like weeds! I bought a piece about 8 months ago the size of a quarter. Since then they have spread to cover over twenty times as much area. A nudi that eats green star would actually be an advantage in my tank.