Re: Chromodoris heatherae from Port Elizabeth

Thanks Charles,
We still have a lot to learn about these animals worldwide so to some extent the Forum is a 'selfhelp' institution. Amateur naturalists have always been an invaluable help to professional scientists, who are very few in number. I agree that your animal appears to differ from 'typical' C. heatherae in some aspects of the colour pattern, but as we know little about that species, it's a bit hard to be sure how much colour variation it has. Perhaps you would be willing to help by keeping an eye out for red-spotted chromodorids. If your were able to photograph where they live - preferably what sponges they are frequenting - and catch them laying eggs, it would help us determine how many red-spotted species occur in your part of the world. Most species are very particular as to which species of sponge they will eat, and often the egg ribbons of diiferent species will be quite different, so even before looking at their anatomy we can often get some good clues to what is and what isn't a different species.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman