Notodoris minor from Great Barrier Reef
September 25, 2001
From: John Fergusson
Dear Bill,
I took this photo on Wheeler Reef off Townsville in North Queensland on the
8th of September 2001. The depth was about 18-20M. He was moving across the sand in an open area between the bommies. He was approximately 12cm long and 4cm wide.
Do you have any idea what type of nudibranch it is?
John
(Townsville, QLD)
jfergusson@ozemail.com.au
Fergusson, J., 2001 (Sep 25) Notodoris minor from Great Barrier Reef. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/5327Dear John,
This is Notodoris minor, a dorid nudibranch which is very well camouflaged to look like the sponge it feeds on, although when it is crawling over sand like this it tends to give the game away a bit. As part of the camouflage, the feathery gills, which are usually so obvious in dorid nudibranchs, are hidden beneath three warty sructures, which look like little sponge growths. I have added a red arrow in the lower photo to show the edges of the gills just peeking out beneath these structures. If you scroll down the page anf look at the messages below yours, you will find out more about the biology of this species.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
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