Like almost all nudibranchs, C.reticulata is a hermaphrodite. Every individual is both male and female. When they have sex, both partners sidle up to each other (always on the right side) and penetrate each other at the same time. From afar it looks like a single white thread unites them. Zoom in closer, and you can make out two distinct parallel penises. They fill each other’s vaginas with sperm for around ten minutes.
Ayami Sekizawa from Osaka City University watched the mating slugs, she noticed something odd. After they finished mating, they would crawl away with their penises still extruded from their bodies. Twenty minutes later, these trailing genitals broke off completely.
Ayami Sekizawa from Osaka City University watched the mating slugs, she noticed something odd. After they finished mating, they would crawl away with their penises still extruded from their bodies. Twenty minutes later, these trailing genitals broke off completely.
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