Chromodoris boucheti or C. lochi

November 21, 2005
From: Colin Ogden


Hi Bill,
I have 2 photographs taken on separate dives on a deep reef at 42 meters. I first thought that the first photo was Chromodoris boucheti, and then I suspected it might be C. lochi because in some of the reference books I have it states that C. boucheti is found on reefs up to 35 meters and this was deeper than that. Also the black line on its gills is not as pronounced as in C. boucheti. Now on the same reef I at the same depth I have found another one which has much more black markings on its gills, so I am sure that photo 2 is C. boucheti. In this case is photo 1 also C. boucheti.

Locality: Gotham reef, Sodwana Bay, South Africa, Indian Oceoan coast. Depth: 42 meters. Length: 50 mm. Nov 2005. Coral reef. Photographer: Colin Ogden

Your help is appreciated.
Regards
Colin

scubaco@iafrica.com

Ogden C. M., 2005 (Nov 21) Chromodoris boucheti or C. lochi. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/15316

Dear Colin,
I guess the golden rule is that if you find something which doesn't fit the book, then the book may be wrong. We know so little about these animals that books are only as good as the information available when the book was written. One of the values of the Forum is that it is allows us to gradually build up new information as it becomes available. The depth range given for a species is really the 'known' depth range so increases to the range are always possible and always welcome. Certainly the small black line on the gills in the upper photo suggests it is C. boucheti, and I would agree that finding a more typical 'friend' at the same site is also very suggestive that it is that species. Chromodoris lochi never has opaque yellow pigment like this on its gills, although it can have a translucent yellow tinge at times. At present I am pretty sure there are no convincing records of C. lochi from the western Indian Ocean
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2005 (Nov 21). Comment on Chromodoris boucheti or C. lochi by Colin Ogden. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/15316

Factsheet

Chromodoris boucheti

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