Phyllodesmium longicirrum feeding

September 10, 2001
From: Mary Jane Adams


Hi Bill,
Your reply to a recent question about Phyllodesmium longicirrum prompted me to review some old pictures in my files.

Image # 29416: In February 1994 I found two P. longicirrum under a leather coral at about 20 meters on a reef east of Ambon, Indonesia. At the time I thought they were mating. However, in trying to sort out the messy entanglement of cerata I couldn't actually see that they were attached to each other.

Image # 99331: I have seen this slug several times in Papua New Guinea. This photo was shot in Milne Bay in Sept., 1993. it was crawling over the reef at about 10 meters.

After reviewing all my slides I now believe that both slugs are oriented with their heads on the leather coral. After reading in your message that they feed on the soft coral Sarcophyton, I now think this is what they were doing.
Best regards,
Mary Jane

divepng@yahoo.com

Adams, M.J., 2001 (Sep 10) Phyllodesmium longicirrum feeding. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/5245

Dear Mary Jane,
It certainly looks like you caught them feeding. The only published record of feeding in this animal is from Orpheus Is, Palm Id Group, Queensland (Rudman, 1991) so this is a welcome confirmation. Thanks again for hunting through your files, it is much appreciated.

I wouldn't be surprised if other divers have seen P. longicirrum feeding, but such observations only become 'knowledge' when the world is told about it them. As I have said many times before, observations by amateurs are a valuable source of knowledge for us all, so anyone out there with slide collections - please have a look for photos of animals 'doing things'. They may not be your best photos, perhaps only half the animal is in focus, but if they are identifiable and show feeding, or mating, or egg laying, or some other behaviour, they may be an extremely valuable contribution to our knowledge.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2001 (Sep 10). Comment on Phyllodesmium longicirrum feeding by Mary Jane Adams . [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/5245

Factsheet

Phyllodesmium longicirrum

Related messages

  1. Re: Phyllodesmium longicirrum feeding
    From: Michael Henke, December 8, 2006
  2. Re: Phyllodesmium longicirrum feeding
    From: Michael Henke, December 6, 2006
  3. Phyllodesmium longicirrum feeding
    From: Michael Henke, December 6, 2006
  4. Phyllodesmium longicirrum on Sarcophyton
    From: Mary Jane Adams, January 15, 2004
  5. Phyllodesmium longicirrum - Lembeh Straits [2]
    From: Rich, October 14, 2003
  6. Phyllodesmium longicirrum - Lembeh Straits
    From: Paul Whitehead, October 14, 2003
  7. Phyllodesmium longicirrum from Sulawesi
    From: Mary Jane Adams , December 18, 2002
  8. Juvenile Phyllodesmium longicirra
    From: Mary Jane Adams, May 10, 2002
  9. Natural history of Phyllodesmium longicirrum
    From: Derek Carmona, September 7, 2001
  10. Information on Phyllodesmium spp.
    From: Delisse M. Ortiz, October 7, 1999
  11. Phyllodesmium longicirrum - feeding
    From: Monica Sullivan, June 19, 1999
  12. Phyllodesmium longicirra? or -cirrum?
    From: Erwin Koehler, February 16, 1999

Show factsheet and all related messages