Hoplodoris bifurcata
(Baba, 1993)

Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DORIDINA
Superfamily: EUDORIDOIDEA
Family: Dorididae

PHOTO

Osezaki, Izu Peninsula, Japan. on rope on sandy bottom. Depth 17m, at night diving, October 2002. 20mm long; Photo: Tomohiko Kurihara

The external shape of this species is very similar to that of Carminodoris armata but their are some subtle differences. The tubercles are smaller and more densely packed and the 'waist' separting the terminal knoob from the basal stalk is not pronounced and at times invisible. The background colour of the mantle is a mottled brown with a distinct broad brownish median band running down the mantle between the rhinophores and the gills. In some animals this band is almost translucent while in others it is a dark reddish brown. The tubercles differs from C. armata in not having a distinct purplish brown knob. They often have some brown mottling at the tip, but elsewhere their colour is similar to the background colour of that part of the mantle. many have a white ring around their base, as in C. armata. Internally they differ in having denticulate and bifurcate outer radular teeth, hence the name bifurcata. This is one of a number of very similar-looking species, such as Hoplodoris nodulosa, which show quite major anatomical differences but which have been terribly confused by authors who have identified them from external shape and colour alone. It is possible that both this species and C. armata already have names from elsewhere in the Indo-West Pacific.

See generic review of Hoplodoris synonymising Carminodoris with Hoplodoris. Changed on Forum - 24 Oct 2003

References:
• Baba, K. (1993): Two new species of Carminodoris (Nudibranchia: Dorididae) from Japan. Venus, The Japanese Journal of Malacology, 52(3): 223-234. (Figs 1-10, Pl.1.)
• Fahey, S. J. & Gosliner, T. M. (2003) Mistaken identities: On the Discodorididae genera Hoplodoris Bergh, 1880 and Carminodoris Bergh, 1889 (Opisthobranchia, Nudibranchia). Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 54(10): 169-208.

Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 2003 (March 10) Hoplodoris bifurcata (Baba, 1993) . [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/carmbifu

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Related messages

Hoplodoris bifurcata from Hawaii

November 13, 2003
From: Keoki Stender

Hi Bill,
Here's a photo of Hoplodoris bifurcata from Hawaii to add to the database. Collected during the NOW-RAMP 2002 expedition to the Northwest Hawaiian Islands.

Date: Sept. 14, 2002
Location: Maro Reef
Habitat: Dead coral head, 10 meters
Length: 15mm

Thanks,
Keoki Stender

fishpicshi@yahoo.com

Stender, K., 2003 (Nov 13) Hoplodoris bifurcata from Hawaii. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/11343

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Carminodoris bifurcata from Japan

March 15, 2003
From: Tomohiko Kurihara

Dear Bill,
This is Carminodoris bifurcata Baba, 1993 from Osezaki, Izu Peninsula, Japan. It is an uncommon species at Osezaki. I found it on a length of rope on a sandy bottom. It has many warts on mantle,the roots of warts are fringed with white colour. And gill coloured orange.

Length 20mm; Depth 17m; night dive, October 2002.

Tomohiko Kurihara

miyamoto@info.email.ne.jp

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