Defensive allomones in three species of Hypselodoris (Gastropoda : Nudibranchia) from the Cantabrian sea

Three Hypselodoris species, H. villafranca, H. cantabrica , and H. tricolor , have been studied in order to further investigate the defensive strategies of Chromodorididae mollusks from Iberian coasts. All animals possess large amounts of furanosesquiterpenoids, probably derived from their diet of s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of chemical ecology 1993-02, Vol.19 (2), p.339-356
Main Authors: FONTANA, A, AVILA, C, MARTINEZ, E, ORTEA, J, TRIVELLONE, E, CIMINO, G
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
Autoecology
Biological and medical sciences
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Hypselodoris tricolor
Marine
Nudibranchia
Protozoa. Invertebrata
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Summary:Three Hypselodoris species, H. villafranca, H. cantabrica , and H. tricolor , have been studied in order to further investigate the defensive strategies of Chromodorididae mollusks from Iberian coasts. All animals possess large amounts of furanosesquiterpenoids, probably derived from their diet of sponges. The products are transferred and stored in specific sites of the mantle (mantle dermal formations, MDFs) to be used as chemical deterrents against predators. Chemical analysis of Cantabrian Hypselodoris species has led to the characterization of eight sesquiterpenoids. Among these, six have been found previously in both sponges and nudibranchs, while two are new natural products. Hypselodoris species cooccurring in the same area contained comparable mixtures of sesquiterpenoids. However, two populations of H. cantabrica from different sites of the Cantabrian sea showed different metabolic patterns. All sesquiterpenoids induce feeding deterrence in Carassius auratus and two are also toxic to Gambusia affinis .
ISSN:0098-0331
1573-1561
DOI:10.1007/BF00993700