Diaphorodoris mitsuii from New South Wales, Australia

August 18, 2006
From: Leanne & David Atkinson

Dear Bill,
We came across this tiny nudibranch at the weekend and haven't been able to find it in any of our books. The characteristic that stuck us the most was the spiral shape of the rhinophores. We did a search on the forum for that phrase and didn't get any hits. The other characteristic that stood out was the lumpy appearance of the mantle. Sorry the shots don't show the gills well. It was on the move in a silty environment, across the mouth of an ascidian that contracted at one stage when I brushed it with the camera housing. 1:1 gives very poor depth of field. Can you please identify it for us?

Locality: The Pipeline, Port Stephens, 7 metres, NSW, Australia, Pacific Ocean, 12 August 2006, Sandy, silty bottom covered in sponges soft corals ascidians and bryozoans. Length: 5mm. Photographer: Leanne & David Atkinson.

Thanks for your help,
Leanne & David Atkinson

atk@hunterlink.net.au

Atkinson, L. & D., 2006 (Aug 18) Diaphorodoris mitsuii from New South Wales, Australia. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/17465

Dear Leanne & David,
This is a nice find. It is a colour form of Diaphorodoris mitsuii. The rhinophores do seem to have spiral ridges on them but if you look at the photos I posted yesterday from Korea [message #17416] you will see the ridges or leaflets, are arranged symmetrically on each side of the rhinophore, and don't form a spiral. It is quite a coincidence that your message should arrive just as I was posting Dong Bum Koh's message from the Yellow Sea. You will notice that your animal only has a submarginal yellow band around the mantle and the foot, while in most specimens from Japan and Sth Korea there is a yellow marginal and red submarginal band. However Japanese specimens are sometimes reported to have just a yellow submarginal band

This species has not been reported outside the NW Pacific before. I have also a couple of records of it from Tasmania which I am posting in a separate message [#17499 ]. In both cases the specimens were very small and I have been waiting  for more specimens to be found down here. Interestingly they are the same colour form as your animals.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2006 (Aug 18). Comment on Diaphorodoris mitsuii from New South Wales, Australia by Leanne & David Atkinson. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/17465

Factsheet

Diaphorodoris mitsuii

Related messages

  1. Diaphorodoris from the Red Sea
    From: Binyamin Koretz, March 27, 2009
  2. Re: Diaphorodoris mitsuii ? from Indonesia
    From: Colin Ogden, July 18, 2008
  3. Diaphorodoris mitsuii ? from Indonesia
    From: Francis & Pirjo Pellet, July 15, 2008
  4. Diaphorodoris mitsuii from Tasmania, Australia
    From: Bill Rudman, August 18, 2006
  5. Diaphorodoris mitsuii from the Yellow Sea
    From: Dong Bum Koh, August 17, 2006
  6. Parenthesis around author's name
    From: Dong Bum Koh, January 17, 2006
  7. Diaphorodoris mitsuii from South Korea
    From: Dong Bum Koh, August 23, 2005
  8. White form of Diaphorodoris mitsuii from Japan
    From: Nishina Masayoshi , August 31, 2001
  9. Diaphorodoris mitsuii from Hong Kong
    From: Bill Rudman & Brian Darvell, August 5, 2001
  10. Diaphorodoris mitsuii from Sagami Bay, Japan
    From: Nishina Masayoshi, August 5, 2001

Show factsheet and all related messages