Doriopsis flabellifera from near Auckland, New Zealand
March 26, 2009
From: Graham Bould
Dear Bill,
Here is a small yellow seaslug found under rock at Whangaparaoa near Auckland, NZ. Could it be Ctenodoris flabellifera or Dendrodoris citrina?
In the photos attached, not of very good quality - the animal is moving left to right in shallow pool.
Locality: Rocky shore at low tide, 10 cm, New Zealand, Pacific, 24 March 2009, Rocky ledges & pools . Length: 15 mm. Photographer: Graham Bould.
Graham Bould.
graham@grahambould.net
Bould, G., 2009 (Mar 26) Doriopsis flabellifera from near Auckland, New Zealand. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/22360
Dear Graham,
If you look at the Fact Sheets for the two species, the differences in the gills show that this is Doriopsis flabellifera. Species of Doriopsis have the gills arranged in a posteriorly pointing horizontal fan while in species of Dendrodoris - any most other dorids for that matter - have the gills arranged in a circle. Have a look also at message #9353.
The genus name Ctenodoris is no longer used. Interestingly cteno and pecten (which is the species name of another Doriopsis) are based on the Latin word for a comb - a referennce to the shape of the gills.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
