Aposematism - experimental evidence?

June 7, 1999
From: Russell Wyeth

Hello everyone,

We are working on experimentally proving that bright slugs are so coloured as warning to predators that they taste bad (aposematic). Are there thoughts on some visual predators which will sample and then spit out nudibranchs? We have thought of large shrimp, some crab species, and fish such as kelp greenling and maybe some sculpins... Our work is on northeast pacific animals, but I'd welcome thoughts from anywhere.

Cheers,
Russell Wyeth
University of Washington
Department of Zoology
Box 351800
Seattle, WA 98195-1800

rwyeth@u.washington.edu

Wyeth, R., 1999 (Jun 7) Aposematism - experimental evidence?. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/926

Dear Russell,
There is quite a bit about aposematism on the site. Have a look at this page, above and below your message) and have a look at the Defence topics in the General Topics list. Unfortunately there is not much direct experimental work that has been done which goes beyond the pioneering work of Crossland who 90 years ago was throwing bits of chromodorids to fish off his houseboat in the Sudanese Red Sea!

I'm off to Italy today so won't be able to get back to your message for a couple of weeks. Also perhaps you would like to add some information about your research etc for the Participants Page.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman.

Rudman, W.B., 1999 (Jun 7). Comment on Aposematism - experimental evidence? by Russell Wyeth. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/926

Factsheet

Defensive glands

Related messages

  1. Re: Predation by Humans?
    From: Peter H. van Bragt, September 28, 2001
  2. Re: Predation by Humans?
    From: Scott Johnson, September 17, 2001
  3. Predation by Humans?
    From: Peter H. van Bragt, September 16, 2001
  4. Natural products from Sea Slugs
    From: Arnaud Parenty, March 2, 2001
  5. Sea Slugs producing sulfuric acid
    From: Foisy, May 2, 2000
  6. Chemical Defences in nudibranchs
    From: Victor Bonito, April 30, 2000
  7. Chemical defence & reproductive strategies
    From: Sarah Priestley, November 15, 1999
  8. Do chromodorid mantle glands have a pore?
    From: Bill Rudman, November 9, 1999
  9. Re: Defensive allomones in nudibranchs
    From: Wayne Ellis, June 7, 1999
  10. Defensive allomones in nudibranchs
    From: Dan Sanchez, June 6, 1999
  11. Defensive Glands in Hypselodoris
    From: Austin, May 21, 1999
  12. Re: Defensive Glands in Hypselodoris
    From: Bill Rudman, May 21, 1999
  13. defensive secretions
    From: Patrick Krug, Ph.D., September 9, 1998
  14. Mucus as a means of defense
    From: Andrea Stephenson, March 28, 1998

Show factsheet and all related messages