Nudibranch ID?

[Diatom2]

Hello again Dr. Ron,
I am wondering if you'd be able to help me identify what I believe to one of about 6 Nudibranches in my tank. They came with some coral and live rock I bought from a fellow in Duluth back in May. He said he'd had them for about 18 months...they are all black except for a white stripe down the center of their back. Any other info you might have would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your help,
Brent

PS Sorry for the poor quality picture...they seem to be camera shy.

[horge]

Hi D2,

Until Ron sees this... I'll give it a shot, okay?
:)

Your pic doesn't seem to show rhinophores ("rabbit ears") or gill tufts/frills, or any of the doodads that proclaim a nudibranch. If that really is the case, the animal seems more structurally akin to a flatworm.

The white stripe could be the hard shell peeking out from under an obscuring mantle, as is the case with a number of molluscs like, uhrmmmm, I dunno... the black/white fissurellid, Scutus antipodus comes to mind:

--black mantle, white shell, sporting a pair of narrow, short antennae, and a probing 'snout' at the leading end.


Then again, the whites stripe you mentioned could be true markings --I'm guessing it's an occasional feature (as in a shell being exposed once in a while), since your pic doesn't seem to show it.

You reallywill have to verify the antennae/no antennae issue (and mention any other features you observe). Also, clarify whether the white markings come and go.

Your pic is, shall we say ...tantalizing?
:D

hth,
horge

www.thereeftank.com

[bosi]

Does it look like this?


http://www.seaslugforum.net/scutus.htm

Alex

[Diatom2]

Bosi...that's it....thanks for the link...that picture is so much better then anything I was able to get.

Horge, looks like you were right on the money too.

Man are there some smarties on this board!!

Thanks Guys!

Brent

[rshimek]

Horge and Alex <b><font color="deeppink">THANKS!!!</b></font>.

Brent,

Glad you got your answer.

:D