Stunning Image of the Week: Astonishing Display of Whorls

In the lab of developmental biologist Deirdre Lyons at Scripps, a fascinating event has taken place - the emergence of a coil-shaped strand of embryos, known as a whorl, from a nudibranch. This rare occurrence was captured on video and is available on Vimeo, with the title "Berghia nudibranch laying a whorl of embryos from Lyons Lab at Scripps".

The video features an adult hermaphrodite of the species Berghia stephanieae laying a whorl of fertilized eggs in a long strand. Nudibranchs, known for being shell-less, uncoiled gastropod molluscs, are not well-understood from a developmental or functional-genomics perspective, making this video a unique glimpse into the work being done by Dr. Lyons.

Berghia stephanieae is a species that is relatively easy to rear in the lab and has a two-month generation time. The ease of rearing and the quick generation time make it an ideal subject for Dr. Lyons' studies, likely focusing on its biology and behaviour.

The video and images offer a visual documentation of the development of Berghia nudibranch embryos, providing a captivating insight into the mysterious world of nudibranchs. In addition to the video, a gallery of images related to Dr. Lyons' lab can be found on Instagram, with the "Photo of the Week 2019" gallery likely containing images from her work.

An adult hermaphrodite of Berghia stephanieae can be seen hanging from the water's surface tension in the video, a sight that is not often seen in these creatures. The species is known to produce hundreds of embryos in a single whorl, making it a prolific breeder.

Dr. Deirdre Lyons is a researcher conducting studies on the nudibranch Berghia stephanieae in the Scripps Laboratory. Her work is shedding light on the development and behaviour of these fascinating creatures, offering a fresh perspective on the world of marine biology.