Bornella anguilla from Burma
March 22, 2003
From: Mary Jane Adams
Hi Bill,
I photographed several Bornella anguilla during my recent trip to
the Andaman Sea. What a strange looking animal! It looks like it was designed by a committee. I can see how the multi-colored spots would be an advantage in camouflaging the slug from predators. It certainly
makes them difficult to photograph. I can also imagine that dividing up the gills into several bunches might help it survive a single fish nip. But how did the eyes get in front of the rhinophores instead of
behind them as in other nudibranchs? Where is the anus?
I watched the Bornella in the upper photo crawling around for half a dive. When it reached the edge of a crevice, it slid off and did it's namesake eel-like swim for a few seconds until it reached the other side. Depth: 10 meters, Divesite: Black Rock, Mergui Archipelago, Andaman Sea, Myanmar, Feb. 15, 2003.
The slug in the lower photo has climbed out on a limb, literally, to
feed on a feathery hydroid. Depth: 7 meters, Three Islets, Mergui Archipelago, Andaman Sea, Myanmar, Feb. 27, 2003.
Best regards,
Mary Jane
divepng@yahoo.com
Adams, M.J., 2003 (Mar 22) Bornella anguilla from Burma. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/9438Thanks Mary Jane.
They are strangely coloured animals, Specimens with the most elaborate colour pattern look like mosaic tiles. The secondary gills in these animals are associated with the paired 'cerata', similar to the small gills found in some species of Doto. I'll have to pass on the position of the eyes. I'm not sure if all dendronotoideans have their eyes in front of the rhinophores or not. I'll have to check for you. Concerning the anus. It opens on the right side just below and between the first and second cerata. The reproductive opening is further forward on the right side, below and between the rhinophore and the first ceras.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
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