Re: Doriopsilla miniata from the Gulf of Kutch, India

May 29, 2009
From: Apte Deepak

Concerning message #22375:

Dear Dr. Bill

Thank you for your confirmation on Doriopsilla miniata. Find attached two images. One with D. miniata with eggcase. The another egg case (yellow coloured) in the image is that of yellow coloured specimen of D. miniata. We get these two distinct colour forms, orange with orange coloured eggcase and yellow with yellow coloured eggcase.

Locality: Gulf of Kutch, exposed reef under rock, Gujarat, Arabean Sea. Length: 20 mm. Photographer: Deepak Apte and Vinod Gajjar.

The image send earlier (which is put up on forum) was actually the eggcase of the animal illustrated which I thought of D. peculiaris.

Both yellow and orange forms of D. miniata are not very common (while the other yellow species - which laid the eggcase in the earlier message - is abundant and seen through the entire winter from October till April.

Deepak

spiderconch@gmail.com

Apte D.A., 2009 (May 29) Re: Doriopsilla miniata from the Gulf of Kutch, India. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/22502

Dear Deepak,

Thanks for clarifying these species. The yellow egg-laying one in your earlier message certainly looks different, and when we compare its egg mass with the ones in today's message the egg size and number seems different also. I would consider the eggs in today's message to be smaller and more numerous. Which raises another question. They certainly look different to the eggs I referred to from Australia [message #10469]. This could mean Doriopsilla miniata has more than one development type or that there are a number of similar-looking cryptic species spread around the Indo-West Pacific - and Atlantic as well, if we include D. areolata.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2009 (May 29). Comment on Re: Doriopsilla miniata from the Gulf of Kutch, India by Apte Deepak. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/22502

Factsheet

Doriopsilla miniata

Related messages

  1. Doriopsilla miniata from the Gulf of Kutch, India
    From: Apte Deepak, May 25, 2009
  2. Re: Doriopsilla miniata and its egg-ribbons
    From: Kirsten Benkendorff, July 18, 2003
  3. Doriopisilla miniata from South Africa
    From: Rudolph van Jaarsveld, February 8, 2003
  4. Doriopsilla miniata from Sth Africa
    From: Valda Fraser, August 7, 2001
  5. Dendrodoris miniata from Port Stephens, NSW
    From: Ron Greer, May 22, 2000

Show factsheet and all related messages