OKINAWAN
OPISTHOBRANCH OF THE WEEK
Hydatina amplustre (Linnaeus, 1758) 14mm
Opisthobranch of the Week Data
Taxonomy:
- Order: CEPHALASPIDEA
- Family: Hydatinidae
Frequency on Okinawa:
Collection Data:
- Individual Collection No: RFB #2968
- Location: Seragaki (26o 30.4'N, 127o 52.6'E)
- Date: 10 May, 1992 [only a single living individual collected]
- Depth: 5ft (1.5m) [only a single living individual collected]
- Water temperature at collection depth: Not recorded
- Size: TL 14mm [only a single living individual collected]
- Specimen deposited: California Academy of Sciences
[brackets indicate range for all Okinawa-collected specimens of the species]
Species Account:
Hydatina amplustre is considered to be uncommon on Okinawa although I have collected only a single living individual over many years of diving here. I've picked up more than fifteen empty shells at several Okinawan localities between intertidal and ten feet of depth. The featured animal was collected crawling on the surface of silty-sand, amid spur and groove formations near the reef edge.
Copyright © 1999 Robert F. Bolland
Digitally manipulated photo
