Chromodoris conchyliata
Yonow, 1984

Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DORIDINA
Superfamily: EUDORIDOIDEA
Family: Chromodorididae

DISTRIBUTION

Indian Ocean. (Kenya, Sth Africa, Sri Lanka, Thailand).

PHOTO

UPPER: Diani, seaward of Jadini Reef, Kenya, 2m, July 1970. 38mm long alive. Photo: H.G.Hamilton.
LOWER: Scottburgh, 25m, south coast KwaZulu-Natal,
SOUTH AFRICA, June 2000, Size: 35mm. Photo: Valda Fraser.

This has been considered a sibling species of Chromodoris geometrica from the Western Pacific. That species has greenish gills and rhinophores, although quite pale in some specimens. C. conchyliata from the Indian Ocean is a similarly coloured species in which the gills and rhinophores are lined with red or reddish-orange and the pustules are often quite yellowish. Both species have a deep purple colouring to the ventral surface of the anterior mantle.

It was first reported and illustrated from Kenya (Rudman, 1973) - as Chromodoris cf. geometrica and Nathalie Yonow (1984) described it from Sri Lanka as a new species. However Valda Fraser's message showing that both species occur in South Africa is of great interest.

References:
•Rudman, W.B. (1973) Chromodorid opisthobranch Mollusca from the Indo-West Pacific. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 52(3): 175-199.
•Yonow, N. (1984). Doridacean nudibranchs from Sri Lanka, with descriptions of four new species. The Veliger, 26(4): 214-228.

Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 2000 (April 5) Chromodoris conchyliata Yonow, 1984. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/chroconc

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