Mystery mark on Risbecia pulchella

January 25, 2004
From: Stephanie Maleady

Hi,
My husband and I just returned from Thailand where he photographed this pair of Risbecia pulchella. When he scanned the slide, he noticed some markings on one of the nudibranchs that can only resemble Playboy bunnies. Any idea what these are? At first, we thought it was something in the development of the slide, but these markings show up on all (5) photos that he took, all in the same location on the creature's side.
Photos: Richard A. Maleady
We're very curious.
Any ideas?

Thanks,
Stephanie Maleady

seawasp@earthlink.net

Maleady, S., 2004 (Jan 25) Mystery mark on Risbecia pulchella. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/11998

Dear Stephanie & Richard,
Your 'Playboy bunnies' are a pair of microscopic crustacea [crabs, lobsters etc] called copepods. Copepods carry a pair of large egg sacs off the back of their body, each sac containing many smll microscopic eggs. They are quite coomon on nudibranchs. See the Symbiosis Page for some more photos of copepdods on various nudibranchs.
Best wishes
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2004 (Jan 25). Comment on Mystery mark on Risbecia pulchella by Stephanie Maleady. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/11998

Factsheet

Symbiosis, commensalism, mutualism and parasitism

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