Doriopsilla and developmental strategies
May 20, 2006
From: Skip Pierce
Hi Bill
Your comment [#16513] about Doriopsilla with similar morphologies, but different developmental strategies being different species reminded me of an ancient paper (West, Harrigan & Pierce, 1984) about the hybridization of two populations of a marine opisthobranch with different developmental patterns. Basically, two populations of Elysia chlorotica, separated geographically by Cape Cod (although connected by the Cape Cod Canal), with identical adult morphology but very different developmental patterns and egg morphologies - but will interbreed, so are clearly the same species. Unfortunately no molecular data. I, of course, know nothing about Doriopsilla, but was struck by the analogy.
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West, H. H., Harrigan, J., & Pierce, S. K. (1984) Hybridization of two populations of a marine opisthobranch with different developmental patterns. The Veliger, 26: 199-206.
Skip
pierce@cas.usf.edu
Pierce, S.K., 2006 (May 20) Doriopsilla and developmental strategies. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/16633Dear Skip,
Yes nothing is ever simple. There are a scattering of opisthobranchs which apparently exhibit poecilogony [one species with more than one development type] including sacoglossans, nudibranchs and cephalaspideans. There are some examples where the differences are small, and other where the differences are more significant with some eggs producing planktotrophic larvae and others producing small crawling slugs. It is interesting that in your example, the two populations were physically apart - if not far, because in most other cases the two development types seem to be in mixed [sympatric] populations. Obviously a lot more work needs to be done. In the case of the two Doriopsilla species the populations are in different oceans so I guess it is safer to think of them as separate - if closely related - species.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
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