Parasite in Peltodoris nobilis

August 2, 2007
From: Bruce Wight

Found this Peltodoris nobilis with what looks like white worms growing from the underside causing it to be contorted as shown. Do you think these are parasites? 

Locality: San Miguel Island, 40-60 feet, California, USA, Pacific, 16 July 2007, On reef structure. Length: 1-2 inches. Photographer: Bruce Wight.

Bruce Wight

bruce.c.wight@boeing.com

Wight, B.C., 2007 (Aug 2) Parasite in Peltodoris nobilis. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/20320

Hi Bruce,

Absolutely. What you are observing here are the egg masses of parasitic copepods whose bodies are buried in the body cavity of the dorid. Looks like there are two individual copepods each with paired egg sacs.

Thanks for sharing,
Dave Behrens

Behrens, D.W., 2007 (Aug 2). Comment on Parasite in Peltodoris nobilis by Bruce Wight. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/20320

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