Whose eggs are these?

November 2, 2001
From: Baki Yokes

Dear Bill,
I have some egg ribbon photos, but I don't know which species they belong to. The eggs that are seen in the first photo, are always found on this tunicate species, but nowhere else. Could it be possible that these tunicates are potential food for these slugs? And whose eggs are they? I will also be pleased if it is possible to identify the other egg ribbons.

• UPPER RIGHT: Istanbul, Turkey. Divesite: Yassiada. Depth: 26m. Ribbon size: approx. 3.5 cm in diameter. 7 October 2001
Photo: Baki Yokes
• LOWER RIGHT: Istanbul, Turkey. Divesite: Yassiada, Depth: 20m, Ribbon size: approx. 5 cm in diameter. 7 October 2001
Photo: Baki Yokes
• LOWER LEFT: Antalya, Turkey. Divesite: Uç Adalar. Depth: 25m, Ribbon size: approx. 15 cm in diameter. June 2001
Photo: Hasan Yokes: hyokes@turk.net

Best wishes
Baki

bakiyokes@turk.net

Yokes, B., 2001 (Nov 2) Whose eggs are these?. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/5582

Dear Baki,
It is very difficult to identify egg masses with any certainty except in certain special cases, when an egg mass has very special characters, and we know the fauna of the area in which t was found very well. Unfortunately the fauna of your region is obviously very poorly known so the chance of identifying egg masses is pretty slight. It is possible that the egg mass which is always found on tunicates belongs to a species of Goniodoris, which feed on tunicates, but in my experience they usually lay their eggs in cavities they have eaten out of the tunicate colony. The lower left one could also be from a species of Dendrodoris. But really anything I say is just a guess.

Perhaps someone will recognise them, but I wouldn't be too optimistic.
Cheers,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2001 (Nov 2). Comment on Whose eggs are these? by Baki Yokes. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/5582

Factsheet

Unidentified egg masses

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