Dendrodoris guttata
(Odhner, 1917)

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

DISTRIBUTION

Indo-West Pacific

PHOTO

Iluka, North coast New South Wales, Australia. March 1982. 46mm long alive. Photos: Bill Rudman.

Characterised by the pale yellow to orange-brown background colour of the mantle, and the scattered black spots, each ringed with a diffuse whitish band.

Reference:
• Odhner, N.H. 19l7. Results of Dr. E. Mjobergs Swedish scientific expeditions to Australia 1910-13, Pl. 17, Mollusca. Kungl. Svenska vetenskaps Akademiens Handlingar, 52(16): 1-115, Pls. 13.

Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 2000 (June 12) Dendrodoris guttata (Odhner, 1917). [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/dendgutt

Related messages


Dendrodoris guttata from Korea

November 6, 2007
From: Dong Bum Koh

Dear Bill,

As a result of Global Warming, sometimes we can find unexpected seaslugs in our fauna.
May I introduce Dendrodoris guttata from Korea.

Locality: Hwa Soon, -5m, JeJu island, Pacific, 02. July 2007, -. Length: Approx. 40mm. Photographer: Jin Soo Kim.

Best regards,
Dong Bum Koh

drkoh@seasee.co.kr

D. B. Koh, 2007 (Nov 6) Dendrodoris guttata from Korea. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/21067

Dear Koh,

Thanks for this new record from Korea. I don't think we need to use Global Warming as a reason for its appearance. Form your work on the Korean fauna we can say that it is a mixture of tropical Indo-West Pacific, local NW Pacific endemics, and some northern Pacific species. Dendrodoris guttata is probably one of the Indo-West Pacific species which is sometimes present and sometimes not. Many opisthobranchs are like that - they have no permanent presence at a particular place but we can expect them to appear every few years.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2007 (Nov 6). Comment on Dendrodoris guttata from Korea by Dong Bum Koh. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/21067

Dendrodoris guttata from Nth Sulawesi

December 21, 2006
From: Mirjam Broos

During our holiday in North Sulawesi I was really impressed by all the colourful nudibranchs I saw. At home I tried to identify them, but this orange one, I couldn't find. Can you tell me what it is? Unfortunately I don't know at what depth (we dived till 20 meter.I didn't measure the length, but I think it is about 5 cm.

Locality: Dennis Hairball, Lembeh Strait, ?, North Sulawesi, Indonesia, Celebes Sea, 08 october 2006, muckdiving. Length: ?. Photographer: Geert Prast.

Mirjam Broos

mirjam.broos@planet.nl

Broos, M., 2006 (Dec 21) Dendrodoris guttata from Nth Sulawesi. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/18959

Dear Mirjam,
This is Dendrodoris guttata. It is more colourful than many species of Dendrodoris. I am not sure if the orange patches in both photos are sponges, but if so it may be the sponge this species feeds on, and may help explain the bright orange colour.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2006 (Dec 21). Comment on Dendrodoris guttata from Nth Sulawesi by Mirjam Broos. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/18959

Dendrodoris guttata from East Timor

July 11, 2006
From: Nick Hobgood


Dr. Bill,

Another one from Timor coming to you. It was hard to get a good shot but here are a few of a slug we have a hard time finding in the books. Can you help us ID it?

Locality: Town, 15 meters, East Timor, Banda, 08 July 2006, Sandy bottom. Length: 2.5 cm. Photographer: Nick Hobgood.

Thanks.
Nick Hobgood

nick.hobgood@mac.com

Hobgood, N., 2006 (Jul 11) Dendrodoris guttata from East Timor. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/17094

Dear Nick,

This is Dendrodoris guttata. It is usually considered a fairly rare species but the records on the Forum are building up a picture of its distribution. You don't actually say so but it seems to be laying this egg ribbon rather than just crawling over it. .If so it is an interesting new bit of information. The eggs look quite large, so it may have what is called lecithotrophic development where the veliger larvae hatch out of the egg capsule and spend a short period swimming in the plankton but don't feed. In species with planktotrophic larvae, which do feed in the plankton, tend to have smaller eggs than this, and at this magnification the individual eggs woulf not be distinguishable. But size is only a rough guide, and the only way we can be sure is to follow the actual hatching and growth of the larvae - a quite difficult process.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2006 (Jul 11). Comment on Dendrodoris guttata from East Timor by Nick Hobgood. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/17094

Dendrodoris guttata from Lembeh Strait

January 16, 2006
From: Linda Ianniello

Dr. Bill,
my friend Susan Mears took this photo on our recent trip to Lembeh Strait, and neither one of use can identify it.

Locality: Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. October 2005. Muck dive. Photographer: Susan Mears

Thanks for your help!
Regards,
Linda I.

lindai1@bellsouth.net

Ianniello, L.M., 2006 (Jan 16) Dendrodoris guttata from Lembeh Strait. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/15565

Dear Linda,
This is Dendrodoris guttata. Interestingly, all the ones we have from the Sulawesi region seem to be very pale like in Susan's photo.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2006 (Jan 16). Comment on Dendrodoris guttata from Lembeh Strait by Linda Ianniello. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/15565

Dendrodoris guttata from Indonesia

June 2, 2005
From: Douglas Hansen


We found this nudibranch while diving at Jahir, Lembeh Strait, in 2002.

Locality: Jahir, Lembeh Strait, Sulawesi, Indonesia. Depth: 35 feet. Length: 2 inches. July 3, 2002. muddy bottom. Photographer: Douglas Hansen

To date, we have not been able to figure out what it is. You have been so helpful identifying other nudibranchs for us, we were hoping you could help us out again!

Thank you,
Doug Hansen

mhel0323@sbcglobal.net

Hansen, D. S., 2005 (Jun 2) Dendrodoris guttata from Indonesia. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/13940

Dear Doug,
This is quite an unusual colour form of Dendrodoris guttata.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2005 (Jun 2). Comment on Dendrodoris guttata from Indonesia by Douglas Hansen. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/13940

Dendrodoris guttata from NE Sulawesi

August 11, 2002
From: Jim Anderson

Dear Bill,
Dear Bill,
Attached is an image of an animal I am unable to ID. Can you please advise?

Size: 50mm approx
Depth: 15 metres
Temp: 27 deg C
Dive Site: Hairball, Lembeh Strait, NE Sulawesi, Indonesia.

While turning over half coconut shells on the bottom (and finding eggs of flamboyant cuttlefish under every one) I turned over what was a whole coconut with this creature clinging to the underside and until I came along, buried in the sand. Unfortunately we didn't have time to see if it burrowed back in again - another disadvantage of diving with a group; your expected to keep up with the pack!
Jim Anderson

JAnder4454@aol.com

Anderson, J., 2002 (Aug 11) Dendrodoris guttata from NE Sulawesi. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/7703

Dear Jim,
This is Dendrodoris guttata. Quite a few species of Dendrodoris tend to tolerate muddy, silty, places. I doubt if they actually burrow in the sediment, but they will certainly squeeze under objects that are partially embedded,
Cheers,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2002 (Aug 11). Comment on Dendrodoris guttata from NE Sulawesi by Jim Anderson. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/7703

Dendrodoris guttata from Sulawesi.

May 8, 2002
From: Mary Jane Adams


Hi Bill,
I saw several of these slugs in Lembeh Strait. Some were under rocks. Others were out in the open during the day. They ranged in color from deep orange to golden yellow and were about 3-4cm. long. I think they are Dendrodoris guttata. I found the upper one at Pante Parigi. The lower one is from Hairball. It is missing most of it's left rhinophore. Both divesites are sand slopes with sparse patch reef. Sulawesi, Indonesia, April, 2002

Best regards,
Mary Jane

divepng@yahoo.com

Adams, M J., 2002 (May 8) Dendrodoris guttata from Sulawesi.. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/6882

Thanks Mary Jane,
Bill Rudman

Dendrodoris guttata from Sulawesi

June 13, 2000
From: Ray Izumi

Dear Bill,

Here is one of two nudies I found in the Lembeh Straits [Sulawesi, Indonesia] during May of this year. They were on a sandy / silty bottom at about 40-50 feet, water temp 82 degrees F, no current to speak of. This orange and spotted one was found at about 8PM, the other one was found during the afternoon. Does anybody recognize it?

Ray Izumi

izumirm@sprynet.com

Izumi, R., 2000 (Jun 13) Dendrodoris guttata from Sulawesi. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/2562

Dear Ray,
This species is Dendrodoris guttata. The other species , which I have put as a separate message is Dendrodoris tuberculosa.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman.

Rudman, W.B., 2000 (Jun 13). Comment on Dendrodoris guttata from Sulawesi by Ray Izumi. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/2562