Triopha maculata mating

November 20, 2008
From: Gary McDonald

Concerning message #16396:

Hi Bill:

In the past I wasn't convinced that these two color forms of Triopha maculata belong to the same species. However, after finding these two individuals and placing them together in a small aquarium, and seeing them mate, I assume that they are indeed the same species. The small dark individual with dark orange gills is what I consider the typical coloration for adults of the species which are found in the rocky intertidal (as shown in MacFarland, 1966: pl. 19). I find individuals like the large pale specimen with pale yellow gills much less often; although small individuals (less than ~15 mm) are usually a more or less uniform orange color like the 13 mm long individual in the lower photo, or as in Clinton Bauder's photo [message #20299]

Locality: Upper Photo: Asilomar, Monterey Co.,, intertidal, California, USA, Pacific, 12 November 2008, Rocky intertidal. Length: 25 and 35 mm. Lower Photo: Carmel Pt., Monterey Co., California, USA, 22 December 2007. Photographer: Gary McDonald.

Gary McDonald

mcduck@ucsc.edu

McDonald, G.R., 2008 (Nov 20) Triopha maculata mating. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/22051

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