Dendrodoris carbunculosa or what?

December 6, 2003
From: Tina Owens


Dear Dr. Rudman:
I live and dive on the Kona Coast of the Big Island of Hawaii. On September 29th, I found a marvelous nudi that I assumed was a Dendrodoris tuberculosa. It was in about 10m depth of water and was probably 250mm long [upper photo]. Then about two weeks ago, a friend found what we assumed was a juvenile D. tuberculosa, from color, rhinophores and general bumpiness [middle photo]. - Found in 7m of water, about 40mm long. Then, last Sunday I found this creature [lower photo] which has really confused me. It was about 750mm long, found in 7m of water at a completely different dive site.

My friends thought it was a juvenile D. tuberculosa, since several of them have been found recently at that dive site However, I thought back to a message that D. Lundholm sent you (June 6, 2003) about a nudi that Sharon Williams found on the Kona Coast of Hawaii. You identified that animal as a juvenile D. carbunculosa. I think my mystery nudi could be a sub adult of that species because of the white spots with bumps on its back. The mantle edges seem to already be turning into the lumpy adult form.

The reason why I was confused is that, as far as I know, no one has ever found an adult D. carbunculosa in this area, yet S. Williams found a juvenile, and this may well be a juvenile, too. For the record, could you please identify all three photos?
Tina Owens

bob-tinaowens@hawaii.rr.com

Oowens, T., 2003 (Dec 6) Dendrodoris carbunculosa or what?. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/11607

Dear Tina,
I think you have 3 different species here, which would explain your confusion. The upper one is definitely Dendrodoris carbunculosa. One good way to separate it from D. tuberculosa is that it has distinct white spots on the underside of the mantle. Both species have quite stiff bodies with fairly leathery mantles.

The animal in the middle photo could be the same as the one I tentatively identified from South Africa as D. carbunculosa [see Linda Penny's message]. It could also possibly be Hoplodoris, possibly Hoplodoris grandiflora but its a bit hard to make out whether the tubercles are simple and rounded.

The animal in the lower photo is definitely Dendrodoris albopurpura which is definitely a new record for Hawaii. It is much more elongate than D. carbunculosa and the body is much softer, the mantle much thinner, and definitely not stiff and rigid to touch.
Best wishes
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2003 (Dec 6). Comment on Dendrodoris carbunculosa or what? by Tina Owens. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/11607

Factsheet

Dendrodoris carbunculosa

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