Doto sp. e629
4mm

Shaking clumps of the algae/hydroid mass growing under the floating piers at the Kwaj small boat marina in Kwajalein harbor yielded a third species of Doto for the Marshalls. The first one was found on 25 July 2011. Another was found on 5 October 2014 in algae on an encrusted line on a buoy marking a lagoon shipwreck. This is another tiny one, measuring only 3-4mm. The first few shots show the 2014 specimen.

Additional specimens were found by Christina Sylvester under a floating dock in the Kwajalein ski boat area. These particular animals resemble a species we found at Bali.

These shots may show feeding on a small hydroid.

The only photos I could get of the first specimen found on 25 July 2011 were with an inexpensive digital microscope. Different backgrounds for the close up shots give different impressions of the color of the animal.

On a black background.

Created 31 July 2011
Updated 24 March 2017

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