Autotomy in Berthella martensi

January 7, 2000
From: Mary Jane Adams

Dear Bill,
I found this Berthella martensi at 10 meters on a the lagoon side of a barrier reef in the Florida Group of the Solomon Islands. It is the first one I have seen and so I took a lot of photos of it. When I was reviewing my photos I noticed that the left side panel of the mantle is missing. I read in your Forum that this pleurobranch can shed sections of its mantle as a defence mechanism, but I was wondering how common it is to find them this way.
Thanks for keeping up the Forum even on your holiday!

Mary Jane

mjadams@earthlink.net

Adams, M.J, 2000 (Jan 7) Autotomy in Berthella martensi. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/1730

Dear Mary Jane,

I'm not sure how often B. martensi breaks off parts of its mantle. As it can regrow the missing section there is no permanent record of the event unlike a lizard whose second tail is usually a poor imitation of the original.

I have never found B. martensi in large numbers. Perhaps someone who has, could give us some idea of how common 'breakages' occur.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman.

Rudman, W.B., 2000 (Jan 7). Comment on Autotomy in Berthella martensi by Mary Jane Adams. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/1730

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