Aldisa tara
Millen in Millen & Gosliner, 1985
Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DORIDINA
Superfamily: EUDORIDOIDEA
Family: Dorididae
DISTRIBUTION
Northeastern Pacific. Known from a very limited geographic area having been collected only at Porlier Pass, Fearnie Bluffs, Agamemnon Channel and Earls Cove, British Columbia, Canada.
PHOTO
Fearnie Bluffs, Agamemnon Channel, 35 feet, British Columbia, Canada, Pacific, 11 February 2006, Rocky wall. Length: 15mm. Photographer: Marli Wakeling.
Like other northeastern Pacific Aldisa the body is covered with low conical tubercles. It differs in being completely white. Rhinophores and gills are the same color as the notum. Spicules can be seen within the tubercles.
Surprisingly this species feed on the red sponge, Hamigera. Adults reach 12-27 mm in length.
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Behrens, D.W. & A. Hermosillo. 2005. Eastern Pacific Nudibranchs - A guide to the opisthobranchs from Alaska to Central America. Sea Challengers. 137 pp.
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Millen, S. V. and Gosliner, T. M. (1985) Four new species of dorid nudibranchs belonging to the genus Aldisa (Mollusca: Opisthobranchia), with a revision of the genus. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 84: 195-233.
Behrens, D.W., 2006 (March 24) Aldisa tara Millen in Millen & Gosliner, 1985. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/alditara
Related messages
Adalaria proxima? from British Columbia
March 25, 2006
From: Marli Wakeling
Here's one of the tough little fuzzy white dorids we get around British Columbia. It does have distinct star like pattern of spicules around the tubercles, hence my thinking it may be Adalaria proxima. The gills however, look to be in a circlular formation, but that may just be the angle the photo was taken from.
Locality: Fearnie Bluffs, Agamemnon Channel, 35 feet, British Columbia, Canada, Pacific, 11 February 2006, Rocky wall. Length: 15mm. Photographer: Marli Wakeling.
Cheers,
Marli Wakeling
scubamarli@gmail.com
Wakeling, M., 2006 (Mar 25) Adalaria proxima? from British Columbia. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/15972
Dear Marli,
You are absolutely right on - next to those confusing Doto's, these FWDftNWP (that is Fuzzy White Dorids from the North West Pacific) are a nightmare. I consulted with FWDftNWP guru Sandra Millen and her response was - "It looks like a white Doris montereyensis but it probably is an Aldisa tara. Without the gills showing it is hard to be sure."
I tend to agree because of the low tubercles on your critter (those on Adalaria are tall and papillate). Lets go with Aldisa tara, for now.
Best wishes,
Dave Behrens
