Glossodoris cincta from the Red Sea
September 2, 2009
From: Marcel Tanke
Concerning message #16937:
Dear Bill,
You have several messages and pictures of Glossodoris cincta on the forum already. But as the 2 pictures attached show great details and colors, I cannot resist sending you these.
Locality: Beachdive Coral Bay Resort, Safaga, 18 meters, Egypt, Red Sea, 27 July 2009, Sandy bottom, coral garden . Length: about 10 cm. Photographer: Marcel Tanke.
The first pictures also shows one of the oral tentacles.
Are the white, flake-like cells on the body the glands that release the defensive chemicals?
Best regards,
Marcel
marceltanke@cs.com
Tanke, M.A., 2009 (Sep 2) Glossodoris cincta from the Red Sea. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/22630
Thanks Marcel,
There was some earlier discussion [#19076] on the identity of the animal in the message your refer to [# 16937]. It looks like the common Indonesian-Philippines form rather than the east African form which you might expect in the Red Sea. However I am sure that will all come clearer as we learn more about these species.
Your question about the white patches on the skin gives me an opportunity to discuss a very interesting question concerning the genus Glossodoris. When I reviewed this genus some years ago the anatomy suggested we could separate the species in the genus into 3 or 4 subgroups based on differences such as radular morphology and nature of the mantle glands. As they all had very similar reproductive systems distinct from other chromodorids I decided to leave them in one genus. However, as you all have no doubt experienced, taxonomy can change when new facts become available, and I suspect the genus Glossodoris is one area where changes can be expected.
As I have discussed often, most chromodorids have special sacs in their skin - which I call mantle glands, and others call mantle dermal formations - in which they store distasteful chemicals from their food sponges to use defensively. In each genus these glands have a particular shape and arrangement. In the genus Glossodoris we find species with quite different gland types, which is one of the reasons I suspect there is more than one genus. In G. atromarginata for example, there are a few large glands deeply embedded in the mantle skirt while in G. cincta (and a few other species) the 'glands' are arranged in patches on the surface of the skin as is so well illustrated in your photos. There is a good photo of the defensive chemicals streaming form these patches in an earlier message [#8859]
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Related messages
-
Glossodoris gregorius - or is it?
From: Déwald Swanepoel, April 2, 2009 -
Glossodoris cincta from the Solomon Ids
From: Barbara Hanchard, December 12, 2008 -
Glossodoris cincta - with some extrusion
From: Riaan Marx, April 25, 2008 -
Glossodoris cincta from North Sulawesi
From: Mirjam Broos, May 28, 2007 -
Glossodoris cincta feeding record
From: Richard Swann, March 15, 2007 -
Re: Glossodoris cincta from the Red Sea
From: Lior Harari, January 5, 2007 -
Glossodoris cincta from South Africa
From: Lior Harari, January 5, 2007 -
Re: Glossodoris cincta - sponge association
From: Colin Ogden, September 8, 2006 -
Glossodoris cincta - sponge association
From: Bill Rudman, August 23, 2006 -
Glossodoris cincta from the Red Sea
From: Lior Harari, June 24, 2006 -
Glossodoris cincta from North Sulawesi
From: Erwin Kodiat, December 14, 2005 -
Glossodoris cincta from Malaysia
From: Noor Hadi Ismail, December 13, 2005 -
Color form of Glossodoris cincta? from the Philippines
From: Paul Osmond, October 20, 2005 -
Glossodoris cincta from Bali
From: Sabine Noack, May 14, 2005 -
Glossodoris cincta from Singapore
From: Lim han peng, April 25, 2005 -
Glossodoris cincta from Mozambique
From: Charles Rowe, January 28, 2005 -
Glossodoris cincta ? from Papua New Guinea
From: Jerry Kane, January 29, 2004 -
Feeding habits of two species of Glossodoris
From: Sarah, December 8, 2003 -
Are these two the same animal?
From: Gary Cobb, October 9, 2003 -
Glossodoris cincta from South Africa
From: Rudolph van Jaarsveld, July 14, 2003 -
Glossodoris cincta laying eggs
From: Vasa P. Sirinupongs , June 23, 2003 -
Glossodoris cincta - feeding
From: Mary Jane Adams , March 18, 2003 -
Glossodoris cincta from southern Thailand
From: Priscilla Yeo, January 24, 2003 -
Glossodoris cincta with defensive mucus
From: Danny Van Belle, January 11, 2003 -
Glossodoris cincta with missing rhinophore
From: Mary Jane Adams, December 13, 2002 -
Glossodoris cincta from North Sulawesi
From: Marli Wakeling, October 8, 2002 -
Re: Glossodoris cincta
From: Jim Anderson, March 13, 2002 -
Glossodoris cincta from Okinawa
From: Bob Bolland, March 13, 2002 -
Glossodoris cincta from Irian Jaya
From: Paul Krupela, March 13, 2002 -
Glossodoris cincta from Indonesia
From: Stuart Hutchison, March 10, 2002 -
Glossodoris cincta from Hong Kong
From: Bill Rudman & Brian Darvell, January 23, 2002 -
Glossodoris cincta from Tufi, PNG
From: Des Paroz, October 22, 2001 -
Glossodoris cincta laying eggs
From: Mary Jane Adams , August 24, 2001 -
Glossodoris cincta from Papua New Guinea
From: Stuart Hutchison, June 14, 2001 -
Re: Glossodoris cincta
From: Terry Gosliner, September 1, 2000 -
Glossodoris cincta from South Africa
From: Valda Fraser, August 30, 2000 -
Glossodoris cincta from Papua New Guinea
From: Mary Jane Adams, March 21, 2000