Doto ostentus
Burn, 1958

Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DENDRONOTINA
Family: Dotidae

DISTRIBUTION

Know from southeastern Australia - Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales.

PHOTO

Upper & Lower right: Oak Park, Cronulla, Sydney, Australia, October 1990, AM C164096. Lower left: Callala Point, Jervis Bay, New South Wales, Australia, 20 November 1984. AM C144045. Photos: Bill Rudman

The body is translucent white usually tinged with yellow or a brownish yellow. There are usually diffuse black patches and marks on the body, head, and rhinophore sheaths. The cerata can be quite elongate with up to seven rows of rounded papillae. There is a black spot at the tip of each ceratal papillae. A branched gill can be present on the inside of each ceras [see lower right photo] It can grow to 15 mm in length. See Radula.

There are a number of similar species of Doto reported from the western Pacific such as Doto japonica Odhner, Doto bella Baba and Doto racemosa Risbec. Until they are revised, it is hard to say whether Doto ostentus is endemic to southeastern Australia or just a population of a more widespread species.

• Burn, R. F. (1958) Further Victorian Opisthobranchia. Journal of the Malacological Society of Australia, 2, 20-36.

Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 2008 (November 22) Doto ostentus Burn, 1958. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/dotooste

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