Aplysia punctata mating, spawning and variations

August 20, 2007
From: Joao Pedro Silva


Dear Bill,

Yesterday I found lots of activity with Aplysia punctata. Many grazing, many spawning, many mating and I bet some doing all the above mentioned activities.

But I also noticed that there were more variations than I'm used to observe. In this area A. punctata are usually dark to pale brown with distinct white markings and now I've seen more or less uniform individuals, some with a light pink border on the parapodia and rhinophores and others with dark markings (instead of the white ones).

Locality: Peniche, 9 metres, Portugal, North Atlantic, 12 August 2007, Rocky bottom. Length: 3 to 7 cm. Photographer: Joao Pedro Silva.

Cheers,
Joao Pedro

jpsilva@uwphotographer.net

Silva, J. P., 2007 (Aug 20) Aplysia punctata mating, spawning and variations. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/20473

Dear Joao Pedro,
I guess its possible you have more than one species present. At this time of year it would not be surprising to have at least two species aggregating and breeding. It's hard to identify species of Aplysia from photographs, especially when you can't see the general shape of the body and structure of the parapodia. The animal with a pink border to the parapodia could be A. fasciata.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2007 (Aug 20). Comment on Aplysia punctata mating, spawning and variations by Joao Pedro Silva. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/20473

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