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Image courtesy of Anthony Berberian
Tahiti
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Herviella sp. 2 (in NSSI 2nd Ed) This is one interesting critter. Ali Hermosillo found the first specimens on some floating debris on the eastern side of the Pacific Ocean near Panama. More recently Anthony Berberian has collected specimens riding on buoys in the western Pacific Ocean near Tahiti. That makes this critter a bonified pelagic species drifting around in the South Pacific, in the South Equatorial current and South Pacific currents. Great lifestyle and great way to distribute the species. Makes its geographical distribution one of the largest on record., and an amazing example of social distancing. Its unusually long tail is sticky and holds it onto the flotsam it is riding on. Its long body is brown with white branches in the digestive system. The cerata are short and have white apices. Long tail specimens measure up to 50 mm in length The next time you are boating around in the South Pacific and see some flotsam, check it out. You may find this remarkable example of incrdible potential and powerful results of natural selection and evolution. Dave Behrens Sammamish, WA 98074 Jun., 2021 Send Dave email at davidwbehrens@gmail.com |
Dr. Anthony Berberian
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Our friend Anthony is a MD, specialized in lab medicine (haematology and immunology), emergency medicine, catastrophe medicine, hyperbaric and diving medicine. Most of his diving centers around Tahiti and the Tuamotu Archipelago, but he has also led expeditions to Papua New Guinea and the Marquesas.
Anthony is a decorated photographer having received "Our World Underwater" - Best of Show in 2015 and Wildlife Photographer of the Year in 2017. Anthony has contributed over three dozen photos of undescribed French Polynesian species to our Nudibranchs and Sea Slugs Identification editions.
Send Anthony email at arava12@yahoo.fr
Sammamish, WA 98074 Jun., 2021 |
Attention all you Sluggers, and you know who you are! The NSSI 2nd edition is now available in ebook PDF and book form . The hard back version will become available Nov. 1st. Both will cost $65 (individually). You will need to jump through a few hoops to get the electronic version as pdf distribution is protected by Adobe ID!! Please read the following to enable reading your electronic purchase! This new 2nd Edition is updated and reorganized, including 185 new species. Among other features, the new edition includes additional photographs of species, an identification key, and an up-to-date classification reflecting the latest evolutionary relationships. The Indo-Pacific represents the largest expanse of tropical ocean in the world, stretching from the Indian Ocean coast of southern Africa and the Red Sea to the central Pacific of the Hawaiian Islands, Easter Island and the Marquesas. This region supports the most diverse marine fauna of any place in the world for most groups of marine organisms. The nudibranchs and sea slugs are no exception to this rule; there are about 3,000 described species of these organisms in the world and at least 40% of these have been found exclusively in the Indo-Pacific tropics. This book illustrates 2,138 Indo-Pacific nudibranchs and sea slugs, including many undescribed species.
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