Favorinus eating Hexabranchus eggs

September 5, 2003
From: Yves Coze

Dear Bill,
While diving in Reunion Island, Indian Ocean, we spotted these Hexabranchus sanguineus eggs on a rock. These were quite common in the place where we were.

While watching closely to the egg ribon, we noticed pinkish kind of larvae on the base of the ribbon. Unfortunately the picture we have are quite poor. These "things" were moving a little bit. Could they be spanish Dancer's larvae? In addition, it seems that the ribbon was not "full" some eggs seemed to be gone and the the ribbon was rather dark.
Yves Coze

info@rando-reunion.Com

Coze, Y., 2003 (Sep 5) Favorinus eating Hexabranchus eggs. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/10871

Dear Yves,
The larvae of Hexabranchus hatch out of the egg masses and swim away in the plankton. These little animals are another aspect of nature at work. They are nudibranchs which specialise on feeding on the eggs of other opisthobranchs. Although a bit fuzzy, I am sure they are aeolids of the genus Favorinus, and probably Favorinus japonicus. Have a look at my comments on Rokus Groeneveld's earlier report from the Red Sea.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2003 (Sep 5). Comment on Favorinus eating Hexabranchus eggs by Yves Coze. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/10871

Factsheet

Favorinus japonicus

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