Summary
Physical Description
Size and Colouration
External Anatomy
Ecology
Local Distribution and Microhabitat
Life History & Behaviour
Reproduction
Development and Locomotion
Feeding and Respiration
Behavioural Observations
Anatomy & Physiology
Internal Anatomy
Histological Sectioning
Evolution & Systematics
Phylogeny and Kleptoplasty
Biogeographic Distribution
Conservation & Threats
References & Links
Reference List
Useful Links
Glossary | Behavioural Observations
Over the course of the study various behaviours were exhibited by the three st
udy specimens. These will be briefly noted here as this species is new and these could possibly be diagnostic.
All three specimens were housed in the same container, and were provided with both food and hiding locations. Pieces of the coral rubble from which they were collected were provided. These were covered in coralline algae, ascidians and sponges. Three species of green (chlorophyte) food algae were provided also. Two of the three animals displayed a preference for feeding and hiding on and in the coral rubble, whilst the third animal could be found on one of the two Halimeda species of algae most of the time. The image to the right here shows one of the study animals emerging from a crevice in the rubble where it had been hiding with parapodia extended for several hours. The two animals that spent most of their time in the coral rubble appeared to glide continuously over the rubble in a browsing manner as though searching for food. A video of these behaviours can be viewed from the Feeding and Respiration page of this site. These two animals were also observed passing each other on numerous occasions, as can be seen in Figure 1 below. All three animals were observed to hide in the Halimeda or Chlorodesmis algae at some stage. When moving, these slugs were observed to have their parapodia erect and close to meeting at the midline. When stationary, especially when in hiding, they appear to 'relax' their parapodia and 'flatten' them so that from a dorsal view they appear almost circular.
It was also noted that when the water in the container was for left for more than six to eight hours without being changed, all three slugs could be seen just below the surface clinging to the edges of the container. Presumably they had migrated upwards to the most oxygenated layer of the water in response to increasingly anaerobic conditions in the lower layers of the container. This brings about some important considerations relating to possible threats to this species, and this is further discussed on the Conservation and Threats page of this site.
Figure 1-Two animals were observed to regularly pass by each other over the course of an hour on Chlorodesmis sp. |
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