Dendrodoris behrensi
Millen & Bertsch, 2005

Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DORIDINA
Superfamily: EUDORIDOIDEA
Family: Dendrodorididae

DISTRIBUTION

Known from Monterey Bay, California, USA to San Benitos Islands, Baja California, Mexico.

PHOTO

Upper:  Bahia Falsa, San Quintin, Baja California, Mexico, Pacific Ocean. : Intertidal. Length: 22 mm. 27 May 2001. Oyster reef. Photographer: Jeff Goddard. Lower: California. Photo: Bruce Wight.

This species was previously known on the Forum as Dendrodoris sp. 4. The body is elongate with a narrow undulating mantle skirt. The mantle is smooth, and there are 3-6 bipinnate or sparsely tripinnate gills. Arranged in a circle around the anus which is situated near the posterior end of the body.  The ground colour is semi translucent white or cream with scattered brown spots of varying size on the mantle. The number and position of the spots can vary but they are normally clustered in 4 regions on the mantle - in front of and behind the gills, midway between the gills and the rhinophores and just in fromt of the gills. There can also be small spots scattered in a submarginal band around the mantle skirt.  The gills and rhinophores are white and sometimes there are a few spots near the tips of the gills. There may also be a few small brown spots on the side of the body and the dorsal surface of the posterior foot. It has ametamorphic direct development and grows to at least 20 mm in length. 

This species belongs to a group, including  Dendrodoris elongata, with a body capable of great elongation, narrow mantle skirt, and anus very near the posterior tip of the body

• Millen, S.V. and Bertsch, H. (2005) Two new species of porostome nudibranchs (family Dendrodorididae) from the coasts of California (USA) and Baja California (Mexico). Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 56(18):189-199.
• Goddard, J.H.R. (2005) Ametamorphic direct development in Dendrodoris behrensi (Nudibranchia: Dendrodorididae), with a review of developmental mode in the family. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 56(19): 201-211.

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