Hypselodoris bullocki laying eggs?

September 8, 2001
From: Matt Stryker

Hello.
I just bought a Hypselodoris bullocki (i'm sure that's what it is) about a week ago, and like after half a week, it layed eggs! It was sitting on a PVC pipe in front of my overflow, so i decided to move it in case it got stuck. when i lifted it up, i found sort of an egg mass under it. it was some transparent jelly like thin with a yellow cloud inside. can nudibranchs reproduce without mating or is it possible that it can lay eggs without mating? could u please tell me more?
Matt Stryker

chongren_88@hotmail.com

Stryker, M., 2001 (Sep 8) Hypselodoris bullocki laying eggs?. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/5161

Dear Matt,
Have a look at Mike Miller's message for a good photo of its egg mass. You'll see the eggs appear as tiny yellow spots to the naked eye. Your description of a 'yellow cloud' does suggest your animal is in trouble. Often when nudibranchs are stressed they lay, or attempt to lay eggs. If they have mated and have fertile eggs they can quite often lay a normal egg ribbon in which the larvae develop quite healthily. However if they are very stressed, or have never mated, then they can go through 'the motions' of laying an egg, but instead of laying eggs in individual capsules, each with a portion of yolk, they just extrude quantities of yellow yolk into a mucous ribbon. It looks like that is what your animal has done.

All the 'egg ribbon' will be good for is fish food. Nudibranchs are all hermaphrodites, each with a full functioning male and female reproductive system. In Mary Jane Adams's photo you can see a pair of H. bullocki mating. In most nudibranchs, mating consists of an exchange of sperm between the partners.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2001 (Sep 8). Comment on Hypselodoris bullocki laying eggs? by Matt Stryker. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/5161

Factsheet

Hypselodoris bullocki - Page 3

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