New Trapania species, Trapania bonellenae, Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles, Caribbean Sea.
http://caribjsci.org/Oct09/45_8-14.pdf
Depths: 5 - 15 meters
Size: 5 mm - 25 mm
Dates: 01 June - 20 August 2007, 17 April - 13 August 2008, 11 June 2009 - July 2009
All were found on brown bowl or brown ball sponges..photos #6 & #29
In photos 2, 4 & 7 you can clearly see the kamptozoans or entoprocts that the Trapania feed on.
Chuck Catlett's photo, #13, shows egg ribbons.
8/21/07 Added 3 photos taken by Mike McVicar showing the Trapania laying eggs (and mating?).
Mike's photos were taken on August 15th, 2007 3pm. Klein Bonaire.
Photo #9, First Trapania found in 2008. 4/17/08 10:25pm
First Trapania found in 2010 on May 22nd, 9:35pm
There were no known sightings of Trapania bonellenae on Bonaire from June 2010 to June 2014.
June 19th 2014 (7:20 pm) I found a pair of them on the same sponge where the last one was sighted in 2010!
February 11th 2015 Trapania bonellenae found in Grand Cayman by Cindy Abgarian!
May 9th 2015 found a pair at 8:54 pm, May 15th solitary T bonellenae, May 25th 4 on one sponge (3 very large) eventually found a total of nine on this sponge.
Close by discovered 4 more (6/27,6/28) July 2nd one individual on May 9th sponge
The past few years sightings are few and far between. One at Tori's Reef found by Linda Baker and the latest one found by Pieter de Groot at Front Porch (see photo).

Opisthobranch of the Week is Trapania bonellenae
Sea Slug Forum- Trapania sp 12
Factsheet Trapania sp 12

Copyright © 2007-2019 Ellen Muller or Copyright © Chuck Catlett or Copyright © Mike McVicar or Copyright © Pieter de Groot
Please do not use any images without permission.