Re: Photos of Cuthona gymnota

March 23, 2001
From: Bernard Picton

Dear Bill,
It's interesting that you think the radula with the central cusp set back is characteristic of species feeding on the stems/stolons of hydroids. This is exactly what Catriona gymnota does, it feeds on Tubularia which has big polyps, but is always on the stems or at the base of the hydroid so I guess it is eating through the stem to feed. I've never seen it in a position to eat the polyps. Doto species seem to drill holes in the hydroid stems and feed in this way too. I think they do this partly to avoid the very venomous Plumulariid nematocysts of their normal foods.

Bernard

bernard.picton.um@nics.gov.uk

Picton, B., 2001 (Mar 23) Re: Photos of Cuthona gymnota. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/4021

Factsheet

Cuthona gymnota

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