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. 07 include:

– A lack of large undulations to the mantle margin but many smaller creases instead

– Darker orange mottling to the dorsum

– Lack of a much lighter orange band to the mantle edge

– No white to very edge of mantle

– Gill rachises are lighter in colour than the leaflets