Euselenops luniceps - feeding & swimming

October 27, 2002
From: Tomohiko Kurihara


Dear Bill.
To accompany my other message, here is some observations on Euselenops luniceps swimming and feeding.

Upper Photo: Showing oral tube everted and ingesting particles. Length 70mm, depth 4m at night. October, 2002.
Lower photo: Front view of animal swimming. Length 70mm, depth 4m, at night. October, 2002
Photos: Tomohiko Kurihara

When searching for food it uses sensory papillae under the oral veil. When it senses some food, the mouth sometimes projected out under the veil. Here is a photo of it feeding. However whatever it ate, I think it probably swallowed it with sand. I would like to know what food E. luniceps is eating.

When I touched one, it could swim very well for over 20 minutes, as in Andrew's and Akos's messages.

Best regards,
Tomohiko Kurihara

tomo-coo@ny.tokai.or.jp

Kurihara, T., 2002 (Oct 27) Euselenops luniceps - feeding & swimming. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/8292

Thanks Tomohiko,
These are very interesting observations. Your upper photo shows the sensory papillae on the underside of the oral veil very clearly. I have never seen the oral tube everted so clearly. It looks just how the oral tube acts in species of Pleurobranchaea when that related slug is feeding. I agree that the particle it seems to be ingesting is a piece of shell. Unfortunately we don't know what this species feeds on. I susepect it may be small crustacea, but perhaps like species of Pleurobranchaea it will eat any suitably sized pieces of animal material, alive or dead. If you get a chance to test one with a variety of foods, it would be interesting to know.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2002 (Oct 27). Comment on Euselenops luniceps - feeding & swimming by Tomohiko Kurihara. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/8292

Factsheet

Euselenops luniceps

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