MATING AND EGG MASS PRODUCTION IN THE AEOLID NUDIBRANCH HERMISSENDA CRASSICORNIS (GASTROPODA: OPISTHOBRANCHIA)

¹ Department of Zoology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287

Interactions leading to copulation in the aeolid nudibranch, Hermissenda crassicornis, have a duration of only a minute or two, and intromission lasts only a few seconds (Longley and Longley, 1982). This paper reports additional details on the temporal structure and variation in structure of these interactions. It is also shown that sperm from a single copulation are sufficient to fertilize only 2 to 3 egg masses and that the state of an animal's sperm supply affects the rate at which it produces egg masses but not the size of the masses produced. In the discussion the results are compared to information on other simultaneous hermaphrodites in an effort to assess the possible adaptive advantages of the structure of the reproductive behavior of H. crassicornis.

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