Dendrodoris guttata from East Timor

Dear Nick,

This is Dendrodoris guttata. It is usually considered a fairly rare species but the records on the Forum are building up a picture of its distribution. You don't actually say so but it seems to be laying this egg ribbon rather than just crawling over it. .If so it is an interesting new bit of information. The eggs look quite large, so it may have what is called lecithotrophic development where the veliger larvae hatch out of the egg capsule and spend a short period swimming in the plankton but don't feed. In species with planktotrophic larvae, which do feed in the plankton, tend to have smaller eggs than this, and at this magnification the individual eggs woulf not be distinguishable. But size is only a rough guide, and the only way we can be sure is to follow the actual hatching and growth of the larvae - a quite difficult process.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman