Relevant Synonyms Haminea cyanomarginata Heller and Thompson, 1983 Misidentification -  photo: V. Roussis - E. Vardala-Theodorou / Coll. E. Mollo

SHORT DESCRIPTION Bubble-shaped shell, fragile, translucent, smooth, with no traces of ornamentation. The margins of the elongate aperture extends beyond the spire. Animal somewhat elongated, too large to be fully retracted into the shell. Cephalic shield deeply bifurcate posteriorly and divided into a pair of well-developed flaps. Parapodial lobes short, reflected over anterior half of shell and not meeting dorsally. A large posterior pallial lobe enclosed the posterior end of the shell. color : shell translucent, whitish or creamy white. Background color of soft parts greenish white, with many patches of cream-whyte, and with some yellow blotches sprinkled over. Margins of the mantle purple-blue, contrasting strongly with the pale ground color of the animal. The purple blue line breaks up into a series of bluish spots in the anterior margin of the head. A large bluish spot separate the two eyes. Some dark purplish blue spots are also visible beneath the shell. common size : animal size from 5 to 15 mm, shell up to 10 mm. DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS The conspicuous purple-blue margin of the animal distinguishes Haminoea cyanomarginata from all other Mediterranean species of this genus. BIOLOGY / ECOLOGY Unknown. Like other species of this genus, probably feeds on diatoms and on filamentous algae. habitat : in the Red Sea it has been found amongst coral rubble in shallow waters. In Greece and Turkey, usually seen at night between 15-30 m of depth on rocky surface covered with algae.

1st Mediterranean record Greece, 2001. DISTRIBUTION Worldwide: only known previously from his type locality, Harvey Reef off the Sudanese Red Sea coast. Mediterranean: found in 2001 from Porto Germeno, Korinthiakos, Greece (E. Mollo, identification confirmed by J. Templado) and from Izmir and Antalya, Turkey (photos by N. Kural and A. Buyuk respectively, Rudman, 2003). ESTABLISHMENT SUCCESS Not discovered in the Mediterranean Sea until 2001, now it seems to be common in Korinthiakos Gulf, Greece, and in some places of the Turkish coast. speculated reasons for success : - MODE OF INTRODUCTION Possibly from the Red Sea via the Suez Canal. However its is only known from the original description from Sudan, and from Greece and Turkey. Therefore it is difficult to be sure whether it originated in the Indo-West Pacific or the Mediterranean. IMPORTANCE TO HUMANS None.

KEY REFERENCES Heller J. and Thompson T.E., 1983. Opistobranc molluscs of the Sudanese Red Sea. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 78: 317-348. Rudman W.B., 2003. Haminoea cyanomarginata Heller & Thompson, 1983. Available via Sea Slug Forum http://www.seaslugforum.net/hamicyan.htm Australian Museum, Sidney.   FEEDBACK / COMMENTS TO AUTHORS

Last update : December 2003 ©ciesm 2002