Dirona albolineata and Melibe leonina

July 15, 2004
From: Jackie Hildering and Glen Miller

Dear Dr. Rudman,
The egg masses in the images I believe to be of Dirona albolineata and not of Melibe leonina. I saw many of the Dirona on Agarum fimbriatum [a brown algae often called Colander Weed] in the same position we found the eggs. We could not find an animal laying the eggs however.

Dive: Bear Cove, Northern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
Depth: 40’
Photographer: Glen Miller
Date: March 21st, 2004

Could you confirm if they are D. albolineata eggs? Also, in the images of the two different egg mass, there appears to be a common orange colouration in the background. What might this be?

And, finally, would anyone have a picture of Melibe leonina eggs? It is noteworthy that there are 1000s of M. leonina at this site from fall to spring but we don't believe we've ever seen any eggs.


Many thanks!
Jackie Hildering

earthent@telus.net

Hildering< J. & Miller, G., 2004 (Jul 15) Dirona albolineata and Melibe leonina. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/12538

Dear Jackie & Glen,
I guess the animals in the bottom left photo with the egg ribbon are small Melibe. The eggs are definitely not Melibe. There is a photo of the eggs of M. leonina on the species Fact Sheet. It is a flattened ribbon much like a typical dorid egg ribbon. Other species of Melibe also have that shape [See message m9356].

It certainly looks like the descriptions of the egg ribbon of Dirona albolineata which has been described in some detail by Anne Hurst (1967) and O'Donoghue & O'Donoghue (1922). The O'Donoghue's mention it is often laid on kelp.

• Hurst, A. (1967) The egg masses and veligers of thirty northeast Pacific opisthobranchs. The Veliger, 9(3): 255-288, pls. 26-38.
• O'Donoghue, C. H. & O'Donoghue, E. 1922. Notes on the nudibranchiate Mollusca from the Vancouver Island region. II. The spawn of certain species. Transactions of the Royal Canadian Institute, 14(1):131-143, pl. 3.

Best wishes
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2004 (Jul 15). Comment on Dirona albolineata and Melibe leonina by Jackie Hildering and Glen Miller. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/12538

Factsheet

Dirona albolineata

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