Re: Hexabranchus juvenile from the GBR

January 15, 2004
From: Nils Anthes

Dear Bill,
Many thanks for the hint that the presumed Hypselodoris is in fact a Spanish Dancer. One thing, however, puzzles me: After collection we left the slug plus the substrate we collected it from for one night in a container. The next day we found an egg clutch, which is depicted in the accompanying picture. It looks pretty much like a Hypselodoris clutch, doesn't it? When I checked the slug under a stereo-microscope on the day of collection I didn't see any egg-clutch. But, of course, I might have missed it, although the clutch looks pretty fresh, as well. Next time I'll be more careful…
Best wishes
Nils

anthes@uni-muenster.de

Anthes, N., 2004 (Jan 15) Re: Hexabranchus juvenile from the GBR. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/11888

Dear Nils,
If it layed this egg ribbon then clearly its not a juvenile Hexabranchus. I am not sure if you are collecting as well as photographing. If you have the specimen then there are 2 things to look for in the specimen which would give you a good idea whether it is Hexabranchus or not. In Hexabranchus the gills insert into the skin separately while in most other dorids they join together at the base into a single 'trunk'. In juvenile preserved animals the separate gills are not easy to see if there is some shrinkage, but it's worth having a look. The second thing to look for is the shape of the oral tentacles on either side of the mouth. In adult Hexabranchus there is a unique hand-like flap on each side of the mouth with a series of finger-like papillae around the edge. Again in juveniles this is only partly developed and my not be visible in a preserved animal but again worth looking for. If it is not a Hexabranchus then there are a number of cheomodorids which it could be. Have a look at the Chromodoris decora colour-group Page for a list of possibilities
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2004 (Jan 15). Comment on Re: Hexabranchus juvenile from the GBR by Nils Anthes. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/11888

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Hexabranchus sanguineus

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