Odontoglaja guamensis - mating behaviour
August 2, 2005
From: Colin Ogden
Hi Bill,
Recently I came across these 2 Odontoglaja guamensis. One was creeping up slowly on the other one. As the one neared the creature in the front, the leader started opening its mantle and exposing what I believe is its internal shell. I think this was in preparation for mating. The first photo shows the approach, and the second the opening of its mantle. Unfortunately at this stage I could not take any further photos as my divers I was leading had run low on air and I had to take them back to the surface.
Locality: Sodwana Bay, South Africa. Indian Ocean. Depth: 22 metres. Length: 15 mm. 24 July 2005. Coral reef. Photographer: Colin Ogden
Regards
Colin
scubaco@iafrica.com
Ogden C M, 2005 (Aug 2) Odontoglaja guamensis - mating behaviour. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/14456
Dear Colin,
I'm sure you're right about the mating behaviour, but I am pretty sure the white you can see is not the shell but a colourless part of the mantle tissue, usually not exposed. The shell in aglajids is enclosed within the 'skin' of the mantle, unlike many other bubble shells where it is either wholly or partly visible.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Related messages
-
Odontoglaga guamensis from Sri Lanka
From: Anouk Houben, October 5, 2007 -
Odontoglaja guamensis from South Africa
From: Valda Fraser, September 7, 2007 -
Odontoglaja guamensis mating
From: Colin Ogden, August 17, 2005 -
Odontoglaja guamensis - unusual mating behaviour [2]
From: Colin Ogden, August 12, 2005 -
Re: Odontoglaja guamensis from South Africa
From: Colin Ogden, July 1, 2005 -
Odontoglaja guamensis from the Red Sea
From: Binyamin Koretz, June 29, 2005 -
Odontoglaja guamensis from South Africa
From: Colin Ogden, June 29, 2005
