Hypselodoris dollfusi
(Pruvot-Fol, 1933)
Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DORIDINA
Superfamily: EUDORIDOIDEA
Family: Chromodorididae
DISTRIBUTION
Known only from the Gulf of Suez and Khor Fakken, United Arab Emirates, northern Indian Ocean.
PHOTO
UPPER: Khor Fakken, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Photo: Carole Harris and Leon Betts.
LOWER: A scan of original painting published by Pruvot-Fol (1933).
This species was originally described by Pruvot-Fol (1933) in a paper on the nudibranchs of the Gulf of Suez, Egypt. Hypselodoris dollfusi is a typical Chromodoris shape, reaching 50 mm in length. The body is opaque white overall, with a bright yellow-orange marginal band. The notum has a series of deep pink-purple rings of varying diameters, which surround a circle of lavender. In some specimens the area within these rings have a bluish tinge. The rhinophores and gills are red.
References:
•Gosliner, T.M. & Behrens, D.W. (2000) Two new species of Chromodorididae (Mollusca: Nudibranchia) from the tropical Indo-Pacific, with a redescription of Hypselodoris dollfusi (Pruvot-Fol, 1933). Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 52(10): 111-124, 7 figs.
•Pruvot-Fol, A., (1933) Mission Robert Ph. Dollfus en Egypte. Opisthobranchiata. Memoires de l'Institut d'Egypte, 21: 89-159, pls. 1-4.
Behrens, D.W., 2000 (December 21) Hypselodoris dollfusi (Pruvot-Fol, 1933). [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/hypsdoll
Related messages
Hypselodoris dollfusi from Muscat, Oman
October 30, 2007
From: Yahia Mokhtar
Concerning message #20755:
Here is another Nudibranch photo taken October 15th 2007 in Muscat. Could you please identify that?
Locality: Muscat, 10m, Oman, Muscat, Indian Ocean, 15 October 2007, Rocks. Length: 10mm. Photographer: Yahia Mokhtar.
Yahia Mokhtar
yahia@adma.ae
Mokhtar, Y., 2007 (Oct 30) Hypselodoris dollfusi from Muscat, Oman. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/20991
Dear Yahia,
This is Hypselodoris dollfusi. It is only known from the northern Indian Ocean. Until its rediscovery a few years ago it had not been seen since it was first described in 1933.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Hypselodoris dollfusi from the Egyptian Red Sea??
May 9, 2007
From: Darja Tjioe
Concerning message #19803:
Could this possibly be the same? Hypselodoris dollfusi, looks like the closest match, though coloration looks different. But this species is not known from this part of the Red Sea or is it? A fluke or just very rare...
Locality: Gobal Island, near El Gouna, 32 metres, Egypt, Red Sea, 06 April 2007, Reef , little outcrop of dropoff. Length: +- 7 cm. Photographer: Darja Tjioe.
Darja Tjioe
tjioeke@hotmail.com
Tjioe, D.M., 2007 (May 9) Hypselodoris dollfusi from the Egyptian Red Sea??. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/19886
Dear Darja,
Unlike Iain Macdonald's animal, yours is definitely H. dollfusi. One very distinctive difference is that Iaian's animal had yellow on the gills and rhinophores while your one has red. We know little about H. dollfusi but it was first found in the Gulf of Suez, so your find in the Egyptian Red Sea is in 'home territory'. In recent years it has been found in the Gulf of Aquaba and other parts of the northern western corner of the Indian Ocean. Thanks for another record of this species.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Hypselodoris dollfusi from the Gulf of Oman
March 9, 2007
From: John Carter
This was found this Hypselodoris dollfusi on a dive within the Bay of Khor Fakan, in the UAE. I thought you would like to include it on the Forum
Locality: Bay of Khor Fakkan, United Aran Emirates, Gulf of Oman, 22 January 2006. Photographer: John Carter. [This image is also on Flickr & is released under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial ShareAlike licence.]
You can see more of my photos from this locality at http://www.flickr.com/photos/therefromhere/89737085/
John Carter
john@therefromhere.org
Carter, J.R., 2007 (Mar 9) Hypselodoris dollfusi from the Gulf of Oman. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/19625Dear John,
It's always good to get more photos of species we know little about. It helps to give us a better idea of colour variability and distribution, and sometimes, if we are lucky, photos may include signs of feeding or egg laying.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Hypselodoris dollfusi? from Oman
April 24, 2006
From: Karin Thuring
Hello !
Me and my friends found this nudibranch when diving in Oman. It looks like Hypselodoris dollfusi but it has dark blue rings instead of red (pink). Is it Hypselodoris dollfusi?
Locality: Al Munnassir, 10-12 m, Oman, Gulf of Oman, 6 April 2006, Wreck roof. Length: 5-6 cm. Photographer: Karin Thuring.
Thank you for a very good forum.
Karin Thuring
karin@thuring.com
Thuring, K., 2006 (Apr 24) Hypselodoris dollfusi? from Oman. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/16413Dear Karin,
It certainly looks like H. dollfusi except for the colour of the rings. You do find species of chromodorids with very similar colour patterns, so there is always a possibility this is a different species, but I suspect it is either a strange colour form of H. dollfusi or perhaps the colour in your photo has been affected by depth or by some idiosyncracy in your camera equipment.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Re: Hypselodoris dollfusi from Eilat
March 14, 2006
From: Razi Cohen
Concerning message #15989:
Dear Bill
Attached are other photos of Hypselodoris dollfusi taken at the same dive.
Locality: Eilat , 32 m, Israel, Gulf of Aqba, Red Sea, February 25, 206 , loose coral environment. Length: not given. Photographer: Razi Cohen
I am honored to be able to contribute to your wonderful website.
Best wishes
Razi Cohen
www.photo.diving-il.com/raz
a98rzco@bezeqint.net
Dear Razi,
Thanks for these photos. I was pretty sure form the earlier photos that it was feeding on a species of Dysidea. These photos definitely confirm that.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Re: Hypselodoris dollfusi from Eilat
March 4, 2006
From: Philip Cromwell
Concerning message #15989:
Dear Bill,
This is a truly impressive nudibranch.
I was wondering if the ring/spot on the posterior tip of the foot is characteristic of this species? It isn't obvious, but every animal on the Forum seems to have that same spot.
Thanks for this great, addictive, forum.
Cheers,
Phil
Phil's Temperate Ocean
chiron42@sbcglobal.net
Cromwell, P.A., 2006 (Mar 4) Re: Hypselodoris dollfusi from Eilat. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/16014Dear Phil,
The ring on the foot might be characteristic but as far as I know the only photos of this species that have been published are those on the Forum - so the sample is a bit small.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Re: Hypselodoris dollfusi from Eilat
March 3, 2006
From: Matan Ninio
Concerning message #15989:
It's impressive to see how the find from Eilat looks much closer to the original plate [see Fact Sheet]- the same defused large dots and smaller, denser colored dots.
Matan Ninio
matan@forumhasofiot.yam.dive.ninio.org
Ninio, M, 2006 (Mar 3) Re: Hypselodoris dollfusi from Eilat. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/16003Hypselodoris dollfusi from Eilat
March 2, 2006
From: J. Dafni
Dear Bill,
This beautiful slug was seen in the northernmost tip of the Gulf of Aqaba, near Eilat, at a depth of 32 m. on a soft coral of some kind. It was spotted by Michael Levin and Razi Cohen, who took these pictures.
Locality: Eilat , 32 m, Israel, Gulf of Aqba, Red Sea, February 25, 206 , loose coral environment. Length: not given. Photographer: Razi Cohen .
Jacob Dafni
jdafni@netvision.net.il
Dafni, J., 2006 (Mar 2) Hypselodoris dollfusi from Eilat. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/15989Dear Jacob,
You are absolutely right when you refer to this species as beautiful. It is almost certainly a dramatic examples of aposematic warning coloration -advertising to predators - stay away.
Your species is Hypselodoris dollfusi originally described from the Gulf of Suez in a very obscure journal. Its description was based solely on external coloration, with a painting in the text that suggested that this species look like a road kill run over by a bus. Gosliner & Behrens (2000) redescribed the species adding its radular morphology and reproductive system to the literature. That paper added the United Arab Emirates (Gulf of Oman) to its geographic distribution.
Your observation here from Gulf of Aqaba, in the Red Sea, is basically the species type locality. Nice find.
-
Gosliner, T.M. & Behrens, D.W. (2000) Two new species of Chromodorididae (Mollusca: Nudibranchia) from the tropical Indo-Pacific, with a redescription of Hypselodoris dollfusi (Pruvot-Fol, 1933). Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 52(10): 111-124, 7 figs.
-
Pruvot-Fol, A., (1933) Mission Robert Ph. Dollfus en Egypte. Opisthobranchiata. Memoires de l'Institut d'Egypte, 21: 89-159, pls. 1-4.
Best wishes,
Dave Behrens
Hypselodoris dollfusi from Gulf of Oman
January 9, 2001
From: Gordon T. Smith
Dear Bill,
Managed to find some Hypselodoris dollfusi (at last) over in Khorfakkan [Gulf of Oman, east coast of United Arab Emirates]. Also found an area that could easily be described as "nudibranch city". I will have a few more images for you soon.
Regards
Gordon
aquashot@emirates.net.ae
Smith, G.T., 2001 (Jan 9) Hypselodoris dollfusi from Gulf of Oman. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/3488Dear Gordon,
This is great news. One thing that really excites me about the Forum is how useful it has become as a means of spreading and generating information. It is only a few days since I posted the news about the rediscovery of H. dollfusi, a species which had remained essentially unknown and apparently unrecognisable, since being described in 1933 ... and here, almost immediately, we have another record of it.
I look forward to your other images.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman.
Rediscovery of Hypselodoris dollfusi
December 23, 2000
From: Dave Behrens
Bill
Here is a wild chromodorid to add to the Forum's list:
Hypselodoris dollfusi (Pruvot-Fol, 1933)
This species was originally described by Pruvot-Fol (1933) in a paper on the nudibranchs of the Gulf of Suez, Egypt. Known only from the Gulf of Suez and Khor Fakken, United Arab Emirates. Photographs and specimens were recently sent to us for identification by Carole Harris and Leon Betts, of the UAE. Our thanks to you Bill for guiding us to the correct identification based on the drawing in Pruvot-Fol's paper.
Dave Behrens
Dave@seachallengers.com
Behrens, D., 2000 (Dec 23) Rediscovery of Hypselodoris dollfusi. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/3421Dear Dave,
Thanks for the information for the Hypselodoris dollfusi Species Page.
I have been waiting impatiently for yours and Terry's paper to be published so I could add this garish colour pattern to the Forum. When I first saw Pruvot-Fol's colour plate some years ago I assumed the colour was the result of some strange chemical reaction that had occurred after preservation. I should have known it was just another weird chromodorid colour pattern.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman.
