Chromodoris lekker feeding observation

August 9, 2007
From: Hugues Flodrops


Dear Bill,
Chromodoris lekker would appear to feed on the purple sponge Chelonaphysilla violacea too. I sent a few weeks ago some pictures of Chromodoris conchyliata eating this sponge [message #19889 ].

Chromodoris lekker also has dark purple spots or patches around the mantle; and the name "conchyliata" meaning "dressed in purple" in Latin. A coincidence?  This observation needs confirmation.

Locality: Etang-Salé Permanent Pool, 0,50 metre, Reunion Island, Indian Ocean, 16 juin 2007. Length: 20 mm. Photographer: Hugues Flodrops.

Best regards.
Hugues.

hugues.flodrops@wanadoo.fr

Flodrops, H., 2007 (Aug 9) Chromodoris lekker feeding observation. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/20406

Dear Hugues,
Thanks for this observation. Hopefully you will be able to confirm that it feeds on this sponge in the future. It is the first observation we have on this species possibly feeding.

Nathalie Yonow, when she described C. conchyliolata, gave it the name "dressed in purple" because of the purple marks on the mantle, both dorsally and ventrally. It belongs to a group of species in which there is a large purple patch on the underside of the anterior mantle. All the species with the large ventral purple patch, for which we have information, feed on C. violacea. I would not consider that the purple markings on the dorsal mantle of C. lekker, which doesn't have the ventral patch, to indicate a relationship with the  'ventral patch' group. Many chromodorids have purple marks on the dorsal mantle.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2007 (Aug 9). Comment on Chromodoris lekker feeding observation by Hugues Flodrops. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/20406

Factsheet

Chromodoris lekker

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