Melibe leonina fragrance

May 26, 2006
From: Dave Behrens

Hi Bill:
I was lecturing at Scripps Aquarium today and one of the aquarists asked me what the fragrant smell that their Melibe leonina gives off was for.  Well, I responded that I did not realize Melibe had an odor.  She took me behind the scenes at the aquarium where I grabbed a specimen out of their display and indeed, the specimen had a very strong pungent perfume-like fragrance.  Quite a pleasing aroma actually.

We experience this with the dorid, Acanthodoris lutea in California, but I am not aware of any dendronotids that secrete aromatic substances.  Have you or any of the Forum participant’s information on this phenomenon, in dendronotids?

Thanks
David Behrens

dwbehrens@comcast.net

Behrens, D.W., 2006 (May 26) Melibe leonina fragrance. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/16667

Dear Dave
Have a look at the Melibe leonina Fact Sheet where I note that Sandra Millen reports it. I have had a quick search of the literature and find a couple of references which show that the smell is caused by an aldehyde which Melibe makes from scratch. That is, it doesn't just steal a useful molecule from someone else, which is the usual nudibranch trick.

  • Ayer, S.W. & Andersen, R.J. (1983)  Degraded monoterpenes from the opisthobranch mollusk Melibe leonina  Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences (CMLS), 39(3):  255 - 256. 
    [Summary:   2,6-dimethyl-5-heptenal  and 2,6-dimethyl-5-heptonic acid were isolated from skin extracts of the nudibranch Melibe leonina. The aldehyde (first molecule) is responsible for the pleasant odour of the animals.]
  • Barsby, T. Linington, R.G., & Andersen, R.J. (2002) De Novo terpenoid biosynthesis by the dendronotid nudibranch Melibe leonina. Chemoecology, 12(2): 199-202
    [Summary. Show that 2,6-dimethyl-5-heptenal, a putative defensive allomone, is made by Melibe leonina via de novo biosynthesis.]

Bob Burn notes that the small Australian species Melibe australis  also produces a sweet musky smell when handled out of water. I have not noticed it when I have handled them, but that may be because I treat them very carefully as I am always scared they will drop all their cerata. Perhaps the synthesis of this sweet smelling aldehyde is found in many species of the genus. certainly something to look out for.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2006 (May 26). Comment on Melibe leonina fragrance by Dave Behrens. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/16667

Factsheet

Melibe leonina

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