Galapagos egg ribbon

January 2, 2005
From: Julianne Parolisi

Hello again bill!
This question is regarding what i now believe is a nudibranch egg ribbon i found on a dive around Fernandina Island in the Galapagos. in browsing the forum i found a number of photos of egg ribbons, but none that matched exactly, and i am wondering if you or anyone might know which species it belongs to. i didn't notice any nudibranchs in the immediate area, but at a nearby site that same day i found millions of Tambja mullineri, the common (endemic, i think?) Galapagos species. as you can tell, the ribbon was not flattened but sticking straight out, and the diameter was about 2 inches.

Locality: Fernandina Island, Galapagos, Ecuador, Pacific Ocean. Depth: ~ 8 meters, Length: 2 inches, 15 November 2004. Photographer: Julianne Parolisi

Thank you, and thanks again for this amazing site! i have recently decided that i want to somehow get involved in nudibranch research, and this is a fantastic resource.

happy holidays,
Julianne

aurorable@gmail.com

Parolisi, J., 2005 (Jan 2) Galapagos egg ribbon. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/12833

Dear Julianne,
This is a nudibranch egg ribbon, you can see the individual eggs in the inset I have added to your photo. It is most probably a dorid egg ribbon but from your measurements seems a bit large for Tambja mullineri. However, in most cases,  its very difficult to identify nudibranch egg ribbons to species. To be sure you really have to catch them in the act. However when you become familiar with a local population you can begin to make intelligent guesses. That's why I am always asking for photos of animals laying eggs.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2005 (Jan 2). Comment on Galapagos egg ribbon by Julianne Parolisi. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/12833

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