Doto uva
Marcus, 1955
Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DENDRONOTINA
Family: Dotidae
Originally described from Sao Paulo State, Brazil, from a single specimen, 4.5mm long alive. Marcus describes the living animal as:
"The body is white with light orange viscera shining through, which appear pink in the cerata. The tubercles of the latter are white with ramified spots of black pigment. This lies in the subepithelial connective tissue around the glands ... Larger black spots occur in the connective tissue in the middle of the back and the head and form a ring around the sheaths of the rhinophores".
Reference:
• Marcus, Er. (1955) Opisthobranchia from Brazil. Boletim da Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciencias e Letras. Universidade de Sao Paulo, Zoologia, 20: 89-261. (Pls. 1-30)
Rudman, W.B., 2003 (October 14) Doto uva Marcus, 1955. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/dotouva
Related messages
Re: Doto from Florida
July 9, 2008
From: Geoffrey Smith
Concerning message #21686:
Dear Bill,
Thanks for the identification of this nudibranch. I had no clue on this one. I have seen them laying eggs, but I don't know if the egg masses would help better determine the species. If I come across the egg masses again I will try to get a picture.
Geoff
geoffreyhsmith@gmail.com
Smith, G.H., 2008 (Jul 9) Re: Doto from Florida. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/21691Dear Geoff,
Egg masses are always useful, but we have to be sure who they belong to. Unfortunately just because an animal is near an egg mass does not necessarily mean it laid it. However if a particular species is often found associated with a particular egg mass then we can be reasonably sure who it belongs to. With species of Doto, there is growing evidence that many species are specialist feeders on one or a very few species of hydroid, so if you find it on a hydroid, good photos of the hydroid and the nudibranch could be very valuable. Photos of the hydroid showing the whole colony as well as close-ups of a few polyps would be ideal. I am afraid getting hydroids identified is another problem, but at least if we have a photographic record that a researcher could use in the future, then we have a valuable observation.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Doto from Florida
July 8, 2008
From: Geoffrey Smith Jr.
Dear Bill
Here is another nudibranch I have found on several occasions. This nudibranch is an inch or less in length, and is a grayish color. I have found it in association with hydroid colonies growing in 2-12 feet of water.
Locality: New Pass in Sarasota, 2-12 feet, Florida, United States, Gulf of Mexico, several times in the Spring and Summer of 2007 and 2008, associated with hydroid colonies in rocky areas. Length: an inch or less (1 mm increments on scale bar in pics). Photographer: Geoffrey Smith.
Any ideas on this one? Thanks again for any info.
Geoff
geoffreyhsmith@gmail.com
Dear Geoff,
This is a species of Doto but I am afraid the species from the Caribbean would seem to be in need of further study as some species have been described on the basis of very few animals and so we have little idea of varaibility within each species. I am tentatively identifying this as Doto uva but as I say on the Fact Sheet for that species, it was not very well described, so I am not sure if we can really determine what Ernst Marcus had in front of him.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Doto uva from Jamaica
October 17, 2003
From: Ross W. Gundersen
Dear Bill:
Here is another sea slug from Jamaica. As I said in my first message, all specimens were collected from St. Ann's Bay, Jamaica, West Indies. Most specimens were collected using a light weight dredge and photographed by R. Gundersen.
Here is Doto uva. 1 cm in length. Dredged from Thallassia at 3 m depth.
Best wishes,
Ross
ross.gundersen@uwp.edu
Gundersen, R.W., 2003 (Oct 17) Doto uva from Jamaica. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/11116Thanks Ross,
I'm afraid this species was based on one specimen. I really don't know if it is possible to identify it. Your animal looks quite like the one identified in Bahamian Seashells
Best wishes
Bill Rudman
