Goniobranchus annulatus (Eliot, 1904)
Goniobranchus annulatus is a species of sea slug, a very colourful dorid nudibranch, a shell-less marine gastropod mollusc. G. annulatus inhabits various sections of coral reefs, ranging from the shallow subtidal adjacent to mangrove forests up to 15 m depth near the reef crest. G. annulatus forms mating aggregations similar to those found in many sea hares. G. annulatus is simultaneous hermaphrodites. Both individuals darts their penis toward each other to induce one to act as a male and the other as the female. The victorious one to penetrate the body wall is the dominant male. Eggs are deposited on a substratum where they develop and hatch into (planktonic) vestigial veliger larval stage and further grow as adults. On warm summer days when the fish tend to head for deeper and somewhat cooler water, G. annulatus can often be seen on the wrecks or even on the sand around them. Maximum length is 6 cm in Persian Gulf (Iran, Kish Island). G. annulatus colors stem from the ability to retain pigments from their sponge diet. These resultant bright colors work as a passive defense mechanisms they are a form of aposomatic, or warning coloration.
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Images/Video biblioteca |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Tehran University, Kish International Campus; Iranian Fisheries Science Research Institute
2016
|
| Subjects: | ASFA_2015::I::Identification, ASFA_2015::D::Distribution, Nudibranchia, Molluscs, |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1834/9466 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|