Hypselodoris cantabrica feeding

December 24, 2004
From: Marina Poddubetskaia

Dear Bill,
Three weeks ago I moved from Paris to Bordeaux, near the Atlantic coast. Now I can dive in Arcachon Basin every week-end, and as you know it, this place is full of sea slugs.

Now, we have a huge number of Hypselodoris cantabrica in the basin. They are everywhere invading their food sponge in large numbers.
I can see that on the Forum you have only one photo of this species. So, I assume you would like these photos of animals feeding, including the close-up of their sponge. Could you help me to identify this sponge, please ?

Date: August 01, 2004
Location: Cap Ferret, Bassin d'Arcachon, France, Atlantic coast
Site: Grand Piquey
Depth: 4-5m
Size:  35 - 55 mm
Photos: Marina Poddubetskaia - Nembro website

Best wishes,
Marina.

nembro@nembro.info

Poddubetskaia, M., 2004 (Dec 24) Hypselodoris cantabrica feeding. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/12745

Thanks Marina,
This sponge food of this species is usually identified as Dysidea fragilis (Montagu) (see Bouchet & Ortea 1980, Avila 1995), but I have showed your photos to Dr Pat Bergquist, an expert in the group, who considers this to be Dysidea pallescens Schmidt, 1862. I don't know if this means this species feeds on both species of Dysidea, or if earlier observations on its food preference need checking. It is an interesting find. I look forward to further discoveries from Arcachon. Thanks also for the photos in your separate message [ #12746 ] of its egg ribbons.

  • Avila, C. 1995. Natural products of opisthobranch molluscs: a biological review. Oceanography & Marine Biology: an Annual Review 33: 487-559.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2004 (Dec 24). Comment on Hypselodoris cantabrica feeding by Marina Poddubetskaia. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/12745

Factsheet

Hypselodoris cantabrica

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