No great loss
Sea slugs are not the only animals who abandon their penis.
Orb weaving spiders are known to lose their male organs after sex, as does a sea creature called the periwinkle and land slugs belonging to the genus Ariolimax.
However the researchers believe that Chromodoris reticulata is the first creature known that can re-grow its appendage - and its disposable penis gives it a sexual advantage.
The Japanese team says that in the first act of copulation the penis may be used to remove any sperm left by any competitors that its partner has mated with.
With the first penis and the rival sperm then abandoned, the second penis can be used to inject the sea slug with another dose of its own sperm, ensuring that their genes are the ones that are passed on.
Mr Picton said: "They do have very, very complicated biology - and a lot have awfully complicated things in terms of reproduction."
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