Onchidium from the Arabian Sea
November 16, 2006
From: Bhavik Patel
Dear Dr.Bill,
I am working in Bombay Natural History Society (Mumbai) on Marine Mollusca. I last week had been in Vealver (Dist. Junaghad, State. Gujarat, India) which is situated on the coast of Arabian Sea. There I found Sea Slugs thousands in numbers, and many of them were mating. But next day when I went there again for the collection of a few samples, the numbers were only in 100 or 200. Unfortunately I didn't recognise the species. so please help me on this.
Locality: Velaver, Above water level (10-20 cm.), Gujarat, Arabian Sea, 6 November 2006, Rocky Shore with lots of sea weeds. Length: 7-12 cm. Photographer: Bhavik Patel
Bhavik Patel
Project Officer.
Conservation Department.
BNHS.
bhavikedu@yahoo.co.in
Patel, B.K., 2006 (Nov 16) Onchidium from the Arabian Sea. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/18362Dear Bhavik,
This is a marine pulmonate of the family Onchidiidae. It is definitely a slug, but its closest relatives are the land slugs not the sea slugs. In the photo alongside you can see a pair of head tentacles, each with a small black eye at the tip. Opisthobranchs don't have stalked eyes like this. I suspect your animal is Onchidium verruculatum, which is a large onchidiid from the Indian Ocean. When it is immersed in water branched gill-like papillae extend from the tubercles on its back and look very much like a nudibranch's gills
The animals you saw may have been mating, but the white structure in your photo alongside is the 'snout' which bears the mouth at its tip. Have a look at the Fact Sheet and attached messages for further information on this group of slugs.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Related messages
-
Limpet-like slug from New South Wales
From: Sam Rodely, February 22, 2010 -
Re: Onchidella celtica from Channel Ids
From: Frans Janssens, July 22, 2008 -
Re: Onchidella celtica from Channel Ids
From: Jean-Yves Monnat, September 22, 2007 -
Pulmonate slugs from the Caribbean
From: Phillip Gillette, July 4, 2007 -
Marine pulmonate slug from India
From: Doug Eernisse, April 4, 2007 -
Korean slug in intertidal zone
From: William Churchill, September 6, 2006 -
Sea slug from Tioman Island, Malaysia
From: Andrew Lee, February 16, 2004 -
Re: Onchidiid from Thailand
From: Kevin J. Caley, April 28, 2003 -
Dendrodoris? from Siladen, Indonesia
From: Ginette Allard, December 3, 2002 -
Re: Onchidella celtica from Channel Ids
From: Yves Muller, February 18, 2002 -
Re: Onchidella 'eggs'
From: Peter Wirtz, February 17, 2002 -
Onchidella celtica from Channel Ids
From: Nick Jouault, February 11, 2002 -
Giant Onchidium from South Africa
From: Valda Fraser, May 8, 2001 -
Pulmonate slug? from Maldives
From: Erwin Koehler, May 4, 2001 -
Onchidiid from Thailand
From: Sylvain Le Bris, March 17, 2001 -
Pulmonate Slugs from Philippines
From: Erwin Koehler, January 13, 1999 -
Photo of Onchidium
From: Stephanie A. Clark, January 13, 1999