Chromodoris quadricolor - behaviour

March 1, 2006
From: Binyamin Koretz

Hi Bill,
This seems to be an observation of the digestive/excretory system of Chromodoris quadricolor in action. Based on the color of the waste product, I guess that the red pigment of its food sponge is not being metabolized.

I'm sure we've seen more than a thousand of these slugs over the years, and we've never once been able to observe its egg-laying or even mating (surprisingly), but at least now we've documented one important bodily function.

Locality: Eilat, Lighthouse Beach, about 30m, Israel, Red Sea (Gulf of Eilat), 24 February 2006, corals. Length: 5 cm. Photographer: Binyamin and Shulamit Koretz.

Best regards
Binyamin

binyamin@koretz.net

Koretz, B., 2006 (Mar 1) Chromodoris quadricolor - behaviour. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/15980

Dear Binyamin,
If we needed further confirmation on its diet, this certainly provides it. Concerning their egg masses, I don't know why I havent mentioned it before, but you may be looking for the wrong thing. Two Egyptian biologists studied some aspects of the biology of C. quadricolor and noted that it had a flattened egg ribbon (Gohar & Aboul-Ela, 1959). I have had difficulty in confirming the identity of their animals because they lacked any blue colouration on the mantle. However, from your photo, it seems probable that C. quadricolor may sometimes lack the blue pigmentation, which makes it confusingly similar to C. africana.

To get back to the egg mass. Have a look at the Fact Sheet on these egg masses, and also look at Scott Johnston's message [#3443] showing C. elisabethina laying an egg ribbon on a red sponge. This type of egg ribbon is much more difficult to see than the normal upright spiral of other dorids. Gohar & Soliman (1967) also reported a similar egg ribbon for C. aspersa (as C. inornata). It would be great if you could find such an egg ribbon asit would be good to confirm their observations.

  • Gohar, H. A. F. and Aboul-Ela, I. A. (1959) On the biology and development of three nudibranchs (from the Red Sea). Publications of the Marine Biological Station, Al-Ghardaqa, Egypt 10: 41-62.
  • Gohar, H. A. F. and Soliman, G. N. (1967) The biology and development of Chromodoris inornata Pease (Gastropoda, Nudibranchia). Publications of the Marine Biological Station, Al-Ghardaqa, Egypt 14: 77-94.

Best wishes
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2006 (Mar 1). Comment on Chromodoris quadricolor - behaviour by Binyamin Koretz. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/15980

Factsheet

Chromodoris quadricolor

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