Stylocheilus swarming in Cuba

September 6, 2007
From: Alfredo Barroso

Hi,
I put in www.youtube.com a short (and not serious at all) video called "Stylocheilus". There you see a gathering of those seahares and other behavior. Does someone knows if these gatherings are for feeding, or is it for reproduction? Is it some kind of defensive behavior? And why do they bury themselves under the sand in the end? Is it to wait for new algae to grow and then go back feeding on them? What kind of algae do they feed upon? Do they do these gatherings only in the sand?

Locality: Trinidad , 12 mts (40 ft), Cuba, Caribbean, August 2004, Sand. Photographer: Alfredo Barroso.

Thank you very much!
Alfredo Barroso

azuloceano@yahoo.com

Barroso, A., 2007 (Sep 6) Stylocheilus swarming in Cuba. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/20651

Dear Alfredo,

If you go to the Stylocheilus striatus Fact Sheet and look at the attached messages you will see a lot of examples and discussion on why they swarm like this. Also have a look at the Mass Mortality Fact Sheet for more discussion on this phenomenon in Stylocheilus and other Sea Hares.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2007 (Sep 6). Comment on Stylocheilus swarming in Cuba by Alfredo Barroso. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/20651

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