Dendrodoris denisoni
(Angas, 1864)

Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DORIDINA
Family: Dendrodorididae

DISTRIBUTION

Tropical and warm temperate Indo-West Pacific.

PHOTO

UPPER: Koumac, northern New Caledonia, October 1993, 18mm long alive. PHOTO: Bill Rudman.
LOWER: Port Stephens, New South Wales, Sept 1980 PHOTO: H.McLennan.

Dendrodoris denisoni is a widespread common species throughout the Indo-West Pacific. Not surprisingly it has been given a number of different names including Dendrodoris gemmacea (Alder & Hancock, 1864), which is commonly used for this species in New Zealand. Alder & Hancock's name was published a matter of months after Angas's D. denisoni so the latter has priority. Other names which are probably synonyms include Doridopsis clavulata Alder & Hancock, 1864, Doridopsis mammosa Abraham, 1877 and Dendrodoris arenosa Risbec. Another name, Dendrodoris gunnamatta Allan, 1932 probably applies to a darker colour form found in coastal New South Wales in which the blue spots are very small or absent. I will post a picture of this colour form when I get time.

Reference:
• Angas, G.F. (1864). Description d'espèces nouvelles appartenant à plusieurs genres de Mollusques Nudibranches des environs de Port-Jackson (Nouvelles-Galles du Sud), accompagnée de dessins faits d'après nature. Journal de Conchyliologie, 12: 43-70.

Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 1998 (December 13) Dendrodoris denisoni (Angas, 1864). [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/denddeni

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