- Source: Jorunna funebris
Jorunna funebris, commonly called the dotted nudibranch, is a species of sea slug. It is a dorid nudibranch, which is a shell-less marine gastropod mollusc in the family Discodorididae. The genus Jorunna is composed of roughly 15 other species of nudibranchs, which feed on a variety of sponges.
Distribution
This species was described from Sri Lanka. It is widespread in the Indo-Pacific region from the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean along the East African coast to Australia, New Caledonia, and Hawaii. Jorunna funebris preys exclusively on sponges in the genus Xestospongia, and as such, the sea slug's distribution aligns closely with the distribution of Xestospongia.
History
The species was first described as Doris funebris in 1858 by E.F. Kelaart in Sri Lanka, formerly called Ceylon. Kelaart described the nudibranch's appearance, egg mass appearance, and the behavior of a pair while laying eggs in an aquarium.[10] Since then, there have been further observations of the species under different names, including Kentrodoris funebris, Kentrodoris annuligera, Kentrodoris maculosa, Discodoris wetleyi, and Jorunna zania.
Chemistry of Jorunna funebris
This species contains a chemical compound called "jorumycin," which shares the same tetrahydroisoquinoline backbone as an anti-tumor drug called Zalypsis, or PM00104. In addition, another compound called jorunnamycin A, has been found alongside fennebricins A (1) and B (5), both of which are bis-tetrahydroisoquinolinequinones and related to two classes of anti-tumor alkaloids.
References
Further reading
Vine, P. (1986). Red Sea Invertebrates. Immel Publishing, London. 224 pp
Branch, G.M. et al. (2002). Two Oceans. 5th impression. David Philip, Cape Town & Johannesburg.
Camacho-García, Yolanda E.; Gosliner, Terrence M. (2008). "Systematic revision of Jorunna Bergh, 1876 (Nudibranchia: Discodorididae) with a morphological phylogenetic analysis". Journal of Molluscan Studies. 74 (2): 143–81. doi:10.1093/mollus/eyn002.
Kelaart, E.F. (1858). Description of new and little known species of Ceylon nudibranchiate molluscs and zoophytes. Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Columbo, 3(1): 94-95. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/43940440
External links
Photos of Jorunna funebris on Sealife Collection
