JungleDragon is a nature and wildlife community for photographers, travellers and anyone who loves nature. We're genuine, free, ad-free and beautiful.

Join

White's Hypselodoris (Hypselodoris whitei) Madidir III, Lembeh.<br />
It is the same bunch as in previous pic. Link to previous image to see them mating:<br />
<figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/66402/whites_hypselodoris_hypselodoris_whitei.html" title="White&#039;s Hypselodoris (Hypselodoris whitei)"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/2298/66402_thumb.JPG?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=BiA8bF5iX9xXibX8%2Bw9xmCupiT0%3D" width="200" height="160" alt="White&#039;s Hypselodoris (Hypselodoris whitei) Madidir III, Lembeh.<br />
Two of the nudis are mating. You can see their genital in blue. <br />
I have just learned the craziest thing about how nudis mate: they are both hermaphrodites and dispute to be the male. They have developed a strategy by which they let their penis stuck on the other nudi (they loose it and grow a new one later) to avoid loosing the opportunity to inject their own sperm. You can find this cool info in these links:<br />
http://legacy.earlham.edu/~brickte/<br />
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/phenomena/2013/02/12/sea-slug-amputates-its-disposable-penis-but-has-two-spares/ Geotagged,Hypselodoris whitei,Indonesia,Spring" /></a></figure><br />
<br />
This time pay attention to the one in the center; it only has one rhinophore. Sometimes they retract them but it has also been noticed by diver&#039;s that nudis are sometimes simply missing one of the rhinophores. I have read that one reason is because of encounters with predators like crabs or shrimps which remove them with their pincers. On rarer cases it could be the result of mutations as well. Rhinophores are very important organs for the nudi so no wonder why they can retract them when threatened (at least some of the species can do).<br />
More info on this important organ here:<br />
<a href="http://www.seaslugforum.net/showall/rhinonud" rel="nofollow">http://www.seaslugforum.net/showall/rhinonud</a> Hypselodoris whitei Click/tap to enlarge

White's Hypselodoris (Hypselodoris whitei)

Madidir III, Lembeh.
It is the same bunch as in previous pic. Link to previous image to see them mating:

White's Hypselodoris (Hypselodoris whitei) Madidir III, Lembeh.<br />
Two of the nudis are mating. You can see their genital in blue. <br />
I have just learned the craziest thing about how nudis mate: they are both hermaphrodites and dispute to be the male. They have developed a strategy by which they let their penis stuck on the other nudi (they loose it and grow a new one later) to avoid loosing the opportunity to inject their own sperm. You can find this cool info in these links:<br />
http://legacy.earlham.edu/~brickte/<br />
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/phenomena/2013/02/12/sea-slug-amputates-its-disposable-penis-but-has-two-spares/ Geotagged,Hypselodoris whitei,Indonesia,Spring


This time pay attention to the one in the center; it only has one rhinophore. Sometimes they retract them but it has also been noticed by diver's that nudis are sometimes simply missing one of the rhinophores. I have read that one reason is because of encounters with predators like crabs or shrimps which remove them with their pincers. On rarer cases it could be the result of mutations as well. Rhinophores are very important organs for the nudi so no wonder why they can retract them when threatened (at least some of the species can do).
More info on this important organ here:
http://www.seaslugforum.net/showall/rhinonud

Sign in or Join in order to comment.

''Hypselodoris whitei'' is a colourful species of sea slug or dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Chromodorididae.

Similar species: Sea Slugs
Species identified by Patomarazul
View Patomarazul's profile

By Patomarazul

All rights reserved
Uploaded Sep 16, 2018. Captured May 20, 2018 05:15.
  • TG-5
  • f/14.0
  • 1/100s
  • ISO800
  • 18mm