Chromodoris sp. 17

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

DISTRIBUTION

Caribbean

PHOTO

Locality: Lake Worth Lagoon, 15 feet, Florida, USA, Atlantic Ocean, 14 June 2009, Intracoastal, tidal. Length: Approx 1 inch [2.5 cm]. Photographer: Linda Ianniello.

This animal has been identified as Chromodoris neona in the book  Caribbean sea slugs (A. Valdes, J. Hamann, D.W.Behrens & A. DuPont, 2006). However, it is differs in many external features from the original description by Ernst Marcus of C. neona. The differences are discussed in detail on the C. neona Fact Sheet and in the following messages: #22560, #22600.

I am calling this species Chromodoris sp. 17. It has a blue background colour, with a broad white band around the mantle edge. The mantle is covered with a yellow reticulate pattern, the yellow line being edged with  reddish or dark purple. The edge of the mantle also has a similarly coloured yellow or yellow-brown border. In photos in Valdes et. al. the tip of the posterior foot is dark purple and there is a broad white median line. The most distinctive feature differentiating this species from C. binza, C. clenchi and C. neona, are the white gills and rhinophores with purple tips. In the other species the red or purple colouration on the gills and rhinophores consists of coloured lines along the edges, and sometimes also a diffuse spreading of the colour over all of these organs. In Chromodoris sp. 17 the rhinophore stalk can also be purple, as in Linda Ianiello's photo. Traces of purple can also be seen in the photos in Valdes et. al.

Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 2009 (August 18) Chromodoris sp. 17 [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/chrosp17

Copyright © Australian Museum, 1998-2010