Chromodoris kuniei - 'courtship dance'

December 13, 2001
From: Mary Jane Adams


Hi Bill,
I observed Chromodoris kuniei in an interesting behavior recently. While diving on "Lillian's Patch" reef in Bootless Bay, Papua New Guinea, October 2001] I came across three of them at about 15 meters. When I started photographing the closest one, the second was sitting under an overhang about half a meter a way and the third one was sitting in the middle of a sponge patch about a meter further on. Then the second one started crawling directly toward the first one. When it was within about ten cm., the first one seemed to "wake up" and started waving its mantle up and down. They first made contact head-to-head [upper photo]. The second slug paused for about half a minute, then started moving again. It made a wide circle around the first one before aligning itself in the mating position [lower photo]. The third slug remained stationary throughout this activity.

Best regards,
Mary Jane

divepng@yahoo.com

Adams. M.J., 2001 (Dec 13) Chromodoris kuniei - 'courtship dance'. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/5811

Thanks Mary Jane,
The only related animals which seem to have what could be called a ritualised courtship behaviour are some land snails such as the European Helix aspersa which is now a garden pest worldwide. If land snails can have ritualised mating dances there is no reason why opisthobranchs can't. We just need some dedicated animal behaviourists to start looking.

PS: Before anyone reminds me recent taxonomic studies can't really be ignored. I fear we should be calling Helix aspersa by the name Cantareus aspersus.

Cheers,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2001 (Dec 13). Comment on Chromodoris kuniei - 'courtship dance' by Mary Jane Adams . [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/5811

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