Hypselodoris bennetti - breeding season?

January 20, 2004
From: Sascha Schulz

This photo of Hypselodoris bennetti mating was taken in Bushrangers Bay, a Marine Reserve near Wollongong.[New South Wales, Australia]

Depth is about 1m, there were two mating pairs and several indivudals spread around on a sandy, weedy slope. Glossodoris atromarginata was also common in the same area.

Does H. bennetti have any particular breeding season or are there other breeding triggers? Water temperature perhaps?
Sascha Schulz

ss31@wollongong.apana.org.au

Schulz, S., 2004 (Jan 20) Hypselodoris bennetti - breeding season?. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/11948

Dear Sascha,
Whether or not H. bennetti has a particular breeding season is a very good question which I'm afraid we don't know the answer to. In fact we know very little about the life histories and basic biology of most sea slugs. Many species seem to breed during the summer months, often starting with an early spring breeding period [August, September] and sometimes with a second peak in late autumn. Some species, such as Chromodoris tasmaniensis do the opposite, being most common in the cooler half of the year.

But this is just 'anecdotal' information. What we need is some rigorous recording of population numbers, sizes, egg laying etc of various species over a number of years.

Best wishes
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2004 (Jan 20). Comment on Hypselodoris bennetti - breeding season? by Sascha Schulz. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/11948

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Hypselodoris bennetti

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