Re: How do sea slugs make their colour?

August 5, 2006
From: Janine Cindy M. Santiago

Concerning message #17217:

Greetings!
Cindy Santiago here again. I just want to ask if sea slugs have fluorescent proteins?. If yes, where can we locate them in their body?
Thanks and hoping for your reply soon.

Cindy Santiago
Philippine Science High School

jcs_128@yahoo.com

Santiago, J.C., 2006 (Aug 5) Re: How do sea slugs make their colour?. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/17275

Dear Janine,

I think you mean luminescence rather than fluorescence. Flourescence is a phenomenon in which objects glow when they absorb ultraviolet light. I think some parrots' feathers do this. Quite a few animals glow through chemical reactions occurring in their bodies or from chemical reactions occurring in microorganisms that live in their bodies. We normally call this bioluminescence.

There is a page on the Forum on Bioluminescence in nudibranchs but I am afraid it doesn't have much information. The only group I know of are the polycerid genus Plocamopherus. If you look on the Fact Sheet for Plocamopherus imperialis I have included a photo and a description of how this animal can make flashes of light. Unfortunately I have no idea how it does it, and I am pretty sure no research has been done on this.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2006 (Aug 5). Comment on Re: How do sea slugs make their colour? by Janine Cindy M. Santiago. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/17275

Factsheet

Colour in sea slugs

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