Lophodoris scala
Marcus & Marcus, 1970

Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DORIDINA
Superfamily: ANADORIDOIDEA
Family: Goniodorididae

DISTRIBUTION

Known only from Sao Paulo, Brazil.

PHOTO

Figures showing whole animal, large mantle spicule, and radula, from Marcus & Marcus, 1970.

This species is known from a collection of about 50 specimens collected from the intertidal burrow of an echiurid worm Lissomyema exilii in muddy sand at 15-30 cm.

The living animals were 2 - 2.5 mm long, transparent whitish with the yellowish viscera showing through. The mantle skirt is wide on each side of the body but narrows on each side just in front of the rhinophores before expanding again anteriorly to form a veil over the head. Posteriorly the mantle skirt appears to form a gap in the midline, as in Lophodoris danielsseni. The mantle skirt is strengthened with radiating spicules but the edge of the mantle forms a straight edge rather then the scalloped edge of L. danielsseni. There is no median crest down the dorsal midline.

These species was discovered by Dr Ditadi while investigating echiurid worms and the fauna of their burrows (Ditadi 1982). It was found in the burrow of Lissomyema exilii Also in the burrows were species of entoprocts,  Loxosomella ditadii and L. zima. Both the entoprocts (Marcus, 1968) and the nudibranch (Marcus & Marcus, 1970) were described by the Marcuses.

  • Anker, A., Murina, G.-V., Lira, C., Caripe, J. A. V., Palmer, A. R., and Ming-Shiou, J. (2005) Macrofauna associated with Echiuran burrows: A review with new obsrvations of the Innkeeper Worm, Ochestoma erythrogrammon Leuckart & Rueppel, in Venezuela. Zoological Studies, 44: 157-190.
  • Ditadi A.S.F. 1982. On the burrows of echiuran worms (Echiura): a survey. Bol. Zool. Univ. São Paulo, 7: 21-36.
  • Marcus E. & Marcus, E. 1968. Neue brasilianische Loxozomen. Zool. Beitr. (N.F.) 14: 203-212.
  • Marcus E, E Marcus. 1970. Opisthobranchs from Curaçao and faunistically related regions. Stud. Fauna Curacao 33: 1- 129.
Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 2006 (January 17) Lophodoris scala Marcus & Marcus, 1970. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/lophscal