Dendrodoris sp. e362

This bizarre species of Dendrodoris is so far known from only three specimens, one from Enewetak Atoll and two from Kwajalein. The 40mm specimen from Enewetak was on sand in a manmade reef quarry at a depth of about 3 meters, and of the two at Kwajalein, a 20mm specimen was on the seaward reef under dead coral at 10 meters and the other, at 28mm in length, was on a lagoon pinnacle at night, exposed on a rock in 15 meters of water. The only way to be sure it was a Dendrodoris was through dissection, which showed it had no radula.

From above, it was hard to recognize as a nudibranch. Here are some notes on the Enewetak animal. The body is oval, rather convex above, and soft, with the dorsum covered with unequal-sized pustules from which extend one to many (directly related to pustule size) finger-like papillae, the tallest of which usually extends from the top of the pustule. When found the body was covered with sand grains, probably held on by mucous. The mantle margins are wide and hang down to the ground, thin and somewhat flaring at the very edges. Toward the edge, the complex pustules become more simple bumps. Color is a complex mottling of bright orange yellow and red to reddish purple. Most papillae, even in the red areas, tend to be tipped with yellow. Underside and foot bright orange yellow (see below), with the undersides of the mantle and sides of the foot bearing irregular reddish maroon patches. Oral tentacles were not observed. Rhinophores extend from elevated sheaths, and are tall, pointed, and yellow, with many crowded lamellae. Gills consist of 4 large quadripinnate stalks, mottled yellow tan and white, with some brown flecks along rachides. The anus is large, yellow at the base but more white at the tip, and it pulsates.

Here's the orange yellow foot.

The individual below from Kwajalein's seaward reef was the smallest specimen of the three (if indeed the same species), measuring 20mm.

Created 25 December 2006