Author: Undescribed

Order: Nudibranchia  Family: Dendrodorididae

Maximum Size: 30 mm

Sightings: Sunshine Coast

_________________________________________________

In the past Dendrodoris fumata has been identified as having many variations in presentation, all lumped together. This view is gradually changing with some of those variations being kept separate and labelled as Dendrodoris sp. This has come about due to molecular sequencing identifying cryptic species within known species across the sea slugs in general. It makes sense to keep these variations separate, labelled as an sp., until their true identity is confirmed. Our label of Dendrodoris sp. for these specimens is technically correct until such time as they are indisputably confirmed as D. fumata or described as another species.

Particular features of Dendrodoris sp. 06 include:

– Large undulations of the mantle margin

– Darker orange mottling to the dorsum

– A much lighter orange band to the mantle margin with white to the very edge face

– The gill rachises are dark orange with the leaflets much lighter

– Rhinophores are light orange with dark orange to the lamellae laterally and a white tip