Glossodoris cincta from the Red Sea

September 2, 2009
From: Marcel Tanke

Concerning message #16937:

Dear Bill,
You have several messages and pictures of Glossodoris cincta on the forum already. But as the 2 pictures attached show great details and colors, I cannot resist sending you these.

Locality: Beachdive Coral Bay Resort, Safaga, 18 meters, Egypt, Red Sea, 27 July 2009, Sandy bottom, coral garden . Length: about 10 cm. Photographer: Marcel Tanke.

The first pictures also shows one of the oral tentacles.
Are the white, flake-like cells on the body the glands that release the defensive chemicals?

Best regards,
Marcel

marceltanke@cs.com

Tanke, M.A., 2009 (Sep 2) Glossodoris cincta from the Red Sea. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/22630

Thanks Marcel,

There was some earlier discussion [#19076] on the identity of the animal in the message your refer to [# 16937]. It looks like the common Indonesian-Philippines form rather than the east African form which you might expect in the Red Sea. However I am sure that will all come clearer as we learn more about these species.

Your question about the white patches on the skin gives me an opportunity to discuss a very interesting question concerning the genus Glossodoris. When I reviewed this genus some years ago the anatomy suggested we could separate the species in the genus into 3 or 4 subgroups based on differences such as radular morphology and nature of the mantle glands. As they all had very similar reproductive systems distinct from other chromodorids I decided to leave them in one genus. However, as you all have no doubt experienced, taxonomy can change when new facts become available, and I suspect the genus Glossodoris is one area where changes can be expected.  

As I have discussed often, most chromodorids have special sacs in their skin - which I call mantle glands, and others call mantle dermal formations - in which they store distasteful chemicals from their food sponges to use defensively. In each genus these glands have a particular shape and arrangement. In the genus Glossodoris we find species with quite different gland types, which is one of the reasons I suspect there is more than one genus. In G. atromarginata for example, there are a few large glands deeply embedded in the mantle skirt while in G. cincta (and a few other species) the 'glands' are arranged in patches on the surface of the skin as is so well illustrated in your photos. There is a good photo of the defensive chemicals streaming form these patches in an earlier message [#8859]

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2009 (Sep 2). Comment on Glossodoris cincta from the Red Sea by Marcel Tanke. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/22630

Factsheet

Glossodoris cincta

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