Chelidonura livida mating
December 3, 2007
From: Michael Henke
Small Chelidonura livida mating. Hope you like it.
Locality: Mangrove Bay, Sharm el Sheikh, 6 m, Egypt, Red Sea, 13. November 2007, Sand and night. Length: 22 mm. Photographer: Michael Henke.
Regards
Michael
henke@seddoc.de
Henke, M., 2007 (Dec 3) Chelidonura livida mating. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/21201
Dear Michael,
Thanks for the photos. Its hard to see details when two black animals are together, but in the middle right photo you can that the animal on the right has the right side of its head - where the penis is situated - nestled in the gap between the parapodia and the mantle cavity of the left animal. This is the position of the female genital opening so I agree that your animals are almost certainly mating.
I have also included a close-up alongside of the head of one of your animals as it shows the small black eyes very clearly and the bushy sensory bristles on two mounds - one on each side of the mouth. These sensory bristles are used to 'smell' or otherwise detect potential prey, and mating partners, by sensing molecules in the mucous trails it finds.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
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