Doto sp. 9

Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DENDRONOTINA
Family: Dotidae

PHOTO

Pulau Hantu, an island south of the mainland Singapore. Hantu Besar West, submerged reef, outer part Depth: 12m, Found on giant hydroids. 21 November-December, 2004. Photographer: Paul Tan

Various books have recently identified this species of Doto, with a yellowish body and black-tipped tubercles, as Doto bella Baba, 1938, a species described from Japan, but which we know little about. From the original description we can see that the rhinophore sheath was smooth and the rhinophores had a black mark halfway up the posterior edge. Other features such as yellowish body and black-tipped tubercles are found in many species. The species, which I am temporarily calling Doto sp. 9, appears to have tubercles along the edge of the rhinophore sheath, lacks the black mark on the rhinophore, and can gretaly extend the volume and length of the terminal tubercle on each ceras. It also appears to feed on a large campanulariid? hydroid.

  • Baba, K. (1938) Opisthobranchia of Kii, Middle Japan. Journal of the Dept of Agriculture, Kyushu Imperial University, 6(1): 1-19.
  • Coleman, N. 2001. 1001 Nudibranchs - Catalogue of Indo-Pacific Sea Slugs, Neville Coleman's Underwater Geographic Pty Ltd. 144pp.
  • Susuki, K. 2000. Opisthobranchs of Izu Peninsula. Hankyu Communications, Japan. 178 pp.
  • Tonozuka, T. 2003. Opisthobranchs of Bali and Indonesia. Hankyu Communications, Japan. 165 pp.

Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 2005 (January 31) Doto sp. 9 [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/dotosp9

Related messages

  1. Doto from Singapore
    From: Debby Ng, February 1, 2005
  2. Re: Doto sp. 9 from Singapore
    From: Debby Ng, February 1, 2005

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