Hypselodoris bertschi
Gosliner & Johnson, 1999
Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DORIDINA
Superfamily: EUDORIDOIDEA
Family: Chromodorididae
DISTRIBUTION
Hawaii
PHOTO
Oahu? Hawaii. Specimens ranging from about 10mm (upper right) to 25mm (lower right), PHOTOS: Scott Johnson.
Mantle has rows of blue-purple dashes arranged in 4-7 rows. Between them are thin white lines. An orange band, sometimes very faint borders the mantle and the foot has a bluish border. The white gills have an orange tip and an orange patch near the base. [Gosliner & Johnson describe the gills as being 'white with an orange rachis'. The photos in the Forum and descriptions by Ostergaard (1955) and Kay & Young (1969) describe the gills as having an orange tip and a basal orange patch]. Animal grows to 10-20mm in length.
This animals previously identified with H. lineata (Pease, 1860) by Ostergaard (1955) and Kay & Young (1969) are this species, but as I discuss in a separate message, Pease's Doris lineata and Bergh's C. peasei refer to H. peasei.
References:
•Ostergaard, J.M. (1955) Some opisthobranch mollusca from Hawaii. Pacific Science, 9(2): 110-136.
•Kay E.A., & Youmg, D.K. (1969) The Doridacea (Opisthobranchia Mollusca) of the Hawaiian Islands Pacific Science, 23(2): 18-37.
•Johnson, S. (1983) Distribution of two nudibranch species on a subtidal reef on the western shore of Oahu, Hawaii. The Veliger, 25(4): 356-364.
•Bertsch, H. & Gosliner, T.M. (1989) Chromodorid nudibranchs from the Hawaiian Islands. The Veliger, 32(3): 247-265.
•Gosliner, T.M. & Johnson, R.F. (1999) Phylogeny of Hypselodoris Nudibranchia: Chromodorididae) with a review of the monophyletic clade of Indo-Pacific species, including descriptions of twelve new species. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 125: 1-114.
Rudman, W.B., 2000 (February 9) Hypselodoris bertschi Gosliner & Johnson, 1999. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/hypsbert
Related messages
Hypselodoris bertschi? from Japan
February 9, 2002
From: Jun Imamoto
Dear Bill,
Are these sea slugs Hypselodoris bertschi? It seems to look like Hypselodoris cf. maculosa, too.
Please, give me advice.
Date: 30 Jun 2001
Place: Hachijo Island, Japan
Depth: 5m
Size: about 30mm
Water temperature: 23C degrees.
Best Regards,
Jun Imamoto
imamoto@wips.co.jp
Imamoto, J., 2002 (Feb 9) Hypselodoris bertschi? from Japan. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/5490Dear Jun,
I agree it looks very like Hypselodoris bertschi. Its gills, with an ornage smudge midway and orange tips is identical to the photos of Hawaiian animals. It differs from Hypselodoris cf. maculosa, which has a deep orange band midway up each gill, and no orange tips, and has a blue band the mantle edge. It also agrees with H. bertschi in having small mantle glands packed together all along the edge, down each side of the mantle.
If it is confirmed to be H. bertschi it will be an interesting extension of its range, as it is at present known only from Hawaii.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman.
Hypselodoris bertschi from Hawaii
February 10, 2000
From: Scott Johnson
Hi Bill,
Since Hypselodoris peasei (formerly H. bertschi) was mentioned recently in Terry Gosliner's message of Dec 18, and since there seem to be other species that look similar - (Lindsey Warren's H. rudmani? of Feb 1), - I thought it might be time for some pictures of H. peasei itself. These three were all shot in Hawaii of specimens ranging from about 10mm (upper right) to 25mm (lower right). They used to be pretty abundant in shallow water along the steep walls of a channel leading into Ala Wai Yacht Harbor on Oahu, but I hear that the populations there have changed considerably since I last dived there about 15 years ago.
Scott
johnson@kmr.ll.mit.edu
Dear Scott,
Thanks for the photos. I think I will go out on a limb here and say that I don't agree that this is H. peasei. Unfortunately the names of these white lined chromodorids from Hawaii have been confused for many years. Kathe Jensen's suggestion that H. bertschi should be synonymised is based on the longstanding misidentification of Pease's Doris prismatica lineata by many authors. Here are some of the main points.
•In 1852, Eydoux & Souleyet named a species Doris lineata from Hawaii. It is really a species of Hypselodoris but as both Doris lineata and Hypselodoris lineata had been used before 1852, Eydoux & Souleyet's name is not available. It is probably the Hawaiian form of Hypselodoris maridadilus.
•In 1860, Pease described a species Doris prismatica, var. lineata. See separate message for full description. He later (1868) corrected the name to Doriprismatica lineata.
•In 1880, Bergh published paintings of Pease's species and gave it a new name Chromodoris peasei on the grounds that Doris lineata Pease was preoccupied by Doris lineata Eydoux & Souleyet.
•Ostergaard, 1955., Kay & Young, 1969., Bertsch & Johnson, 1981., all identified the animal in your photos as Pease's D. lineata.
•Gosliner & Johnson, 1999 name this species H. bertschi identifying it with Pease's, Ostergaard's and Kay & Young's D. lineata.
If you look at Pease's original description and the painting published by Bergh, there are significant external differences. In particular, Pease's species has two orange bands on the rhinophores and both the foot and mantle are bordered with violet. The gill rachis is orange. In H. bertschi there is only one orange band on the rhinophores, and the mantle has an orange border not violet. The gills have an orange tip and orange patch at the base. Pease's description matches almost exactly the species which was described as Hypselodoris andersoni. The colour of the rhinophores, gills, mantle and foot margins, mantle with white lines sometimes joining, all fit as does the size. In my opinion it is H. andersoni which should be synonymised with H. peasei not H. bertschi.
Bill Rudman.
Rudman, W.B., 2000 (Feb 10). Comment on Hypselodoris bertschi from Hawaii by Scott Johnson. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/1850