Doto sp. 10
Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DENDRONOTINA
Family: Dotidae
PHOTO
Poor Knights Islands, northeastern New Zealand. Depth: 6 m. Length: 7 mm. 20 August 2005. Rocky reef. Photographer: Ian Skipworth
Translucent yellow body with a purple spot surrounded by a purplish tinge at the tip of each tubercle. There is a purple border along the edge of the head, and a purple border around the rhinophore sheaths.
Authorship detailsRudman, W.B., 2005 (September 5) Doto sp. 10 [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/dotosp10
Related messages
Doto sp. 10 from Fiordland, New Zealand
May 15, 2006
From: Ian Skipworth
Hi Bill
On a recent trip to Fiordland I found Doto sp. 10 in Preservation Inlet and Dusky Sound. I have previously seen them only at the Poor Knights and was a little surprised to find them in Fiordland.
The hydroid(?) on which they feed is a distinctive yellow colour. Their yellow egg masses are often more prominent than the nudibranchs themselves and make these small slugs a little easier to locate.
Locality: Cording Islands, Preservation Inlet, 12m, Fiordland, New Zealand, Tasman Sea, 4 May 2006, Rocky reef. Length: 8mm. Photographer: Ian Skipworth.
Thanks very much for your replies to my previous messages.
Cheers
Ian
ianskip@xtra.co.nz
Dear Ian,
Thanks or these photos from a spectacular part of New Zealand - but not well-known for its opisthobranchs. I agree with your surprise at finding this species at the opposite end of NZ from your previous records which would suggest it is a widespread New Zealand species. It would be interesting to know about its anatomy.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Re: Doto cf. bella from New Zealand
September 6, 2005
From: Ian Skipworth
Hi Bill
Attached are two photos of the Doto which you've previously identified for me [#12956]. These are much better photos than my previous one and show the slug amidst the stuff on which I think it feeds. They're small and well camouflaged but their tiny egg masses are bright yellow in colour and help to locate the slugs. I would guess that they're fairly common and now that I'm a little more aware of their habitat and appearance I think I'll find a lot more of them.
Locality: Poor Knights Islands, northeastern New Zealand. Depth: 6 m. Length: 7 mm. 20 August 2005. Rocky reef. Photographer: Ian Skipworth
Cheers
Ian
ian@ianskipworth.com
Skipworth, I., 2005 (Sep 6) Re: Doto cf. bella from New Zealand. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/14615
Dear Ian,
These photos certainly throw a completely different light on this animal. Firstly there dark colour is clearly not black but purple. It is definitely not Doto bella which was described as having a black spot at the tip of each ceratal tubercle and a blackish median band on the head the head. In your animal there is a purple spot with a surrounding purplish tinge at the tip of each tubercle, there is a purple border along the edge of the head, and a purple border around the rhinophore sheaths. As far as I can tell it is an unnamed species, which I'll add to the Forum as Doto sp. 10.
If you have photos showing the eggs I would like to add them if possible.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Doto cf. bella from New Zealand
January 24, 2005
From: Ian Skipworth
Hi Bill
I hope you had a good holiday in NZ. It's great to see the forum still operating.
The attached photo was taken recently at the Poor Knights in about 10m of water. The subject is tiny and hard to get a good look at with the naked eye. I know I snapped it at 1:1 and measure it on the photo to be about 4mm long. On a previous dive (with no camera) I found a group of three of these in 6m of water alongside what seemed to be a bright yellow coiled egg mass. I'm hoping it is a nudibranch, possibly Doto sp. Your comments would be much appreciated.
Locality: Poor Knights Islands, NE New Zealand, Depth: 10m
Length: 4 mm. 15 January 2005, rocky reef
Photographer: Ian Skipworth
Regards
Ian
ian@ianskipworth.com
Skipworth, I., 2005 (Jan 24) Doto cf. bella from New Zealand. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/12956Note added 7 Sept 2005: See later message [#14615] showing purple rather than black coloration and therefore not Doto bella.
Dear Ian,
It is nice to return to a collection of messages from New Zealand. Yes I had a good holiday - with a definite emphasis on holiday. By coincidence I was staying at Lang's Beach and on a clear day as I lazed on the beach I could see the Poor Knights on the horizon. Little did I know that you were slaving away out there!
Your animal is a species of Doto which has been tentatively identified by New Zealand worker with the Japanese Doto bella, which I commented on in an earlier message [#5822] from Gareth Jones. It is possible your animal is the same as Gareth's but I can't see the colour of the rhinophores in your animal. In fact it looks like the head has been damaged.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
