Hexabranchus sanguineus (Spanish dancer) from Egypt

June 7, 2005
From: Kamal El Tawil


Hi Bill,
Here are some pictures of Hexabranchus sanguineus (spanish dancer) I have recently taken in the Egyptian Red Sea. They were taken at night except for the egg ribbon.

Locality: Marsa Alam, Egypt, Red Sea. Depth: 7 meters. Length: 20-25 cms. 25 May 2005. Photographer: Kamal El Tawil

I hope the pictures are interesting enough for the Forum.
Regards
Kamal

Ktawil@yahoo.com

El Tawil, K., 2005 (Jun 7) Hexabranchus sanguineus (Spanish dancer) from Egypt. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/13977

Dear Kamal,
Thanks for these photos. This uniformly red colour pattern is the one illustrated by Ruppell & Leuckart (1828) in their original description of this species from The Red Sea. Your photos also show one of the characteristic features of Hexabranchus which is that each of the gills is attached to the body wall by an independent stalk. The name suggests their should be 6 gills [Hexa = six; branchus = gills] but sometimes, as in your animal, one of the main stalks may branch so it appears there are 7 gills, or even 8.

Can you confirm the egg ribbon is that of Hexabranchus? It certainly looks like it, but it would be valuable to know why you think so.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2005 (Jun 7). Comment on Hexabranchus sanguineus (Spanish dancer) from Egypt by Kamal El Tawil. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/13977

Factsheet

Hexabranchus sanguineus

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