Chromodoris sinensis
Rudman, 1985

Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DORIDINA
Superfamily: EUDORIDOIDEA
Family: Chromodorididae

DISTRIBUTION

At present reported from Japan and China (Rudman 1985).

PHOTO

UPPER RIGHT: South Ninepin (SE), 12-14 m, July 1983, 10-14mm long preserved, AM C139272 Photo: Brian Darvell.
LOWER LEFT: Kuantan shipwreck, Malaysia, 1988. Photo: Ho Soon Lin
LOWER RIGHT: July 1984, North Ninepin (NE), 15 m. Hong Kong, AM C142942 Photo: Brian Darvell.

White with red outer and yellow inner mantle border. The white mantle is a translucent rather than an opaque white and in about half the specimens studied there can be scattering of small irregulatly shaped red specks. The gills and rhinophore clubs are translucent red, and the rhinophore stalks are white, sometimes speckle with red. It grows to approximately 30 mm in length.

This species has been recorded from Japan and China by various authors but misidentified with Chromodoris marginata (Pease), which is synonymous with C. verrieri. In Chromodoris verrieri the mantle is pigmented white whereas in C. sinensis the mantle is translucent white. In C. verrieri the gills and rhinophores are translucent and edged with white whereas in C. sinensis they are a translucent red. Most importantly the red outer colour band on the mantle is right at the edge in C. verrieri while in C. sinensis it is submarginal, there being a distinct,if narrow, marginal band of translucent white. From the many specimens available from Hong Kong it would appear that the presence of small orange-brown spots is variable, with approximately half the specimens so far collected having them.

C. sinensis is also similar in colour to C. preciosa and C. trimarginata. Both have a white outer band, then a red and then a yellow inner band to the mantle. In both cases the white outer band is of similar width to the yellow and red bands, while in C. sinensis the white band is much narrower and is translucent white rather than pigmented. In C. preciosa the rhinophore clubs and gills are translucent red with white edgings, and in C. trimarginata they are translucent clear with white edging. [I am preparing a page comparing this C. verrieri - colour group].

References:
• Rudman, W.B. (1985) The Chromodorididae (Opisthobranchia: Mollusca) of the Indo-West Pacific: Chromodoris aureomarginata, C. verrieri and C. fidelis colour groups. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 83: 241-299.
• Rudman, W.B. & Darvell, B.W. (1990) Opisthobranch molluscs of Hong Kong. Part 1. Goniodorididae, Onchidorididae, Triophidae, Gymnodorididae, Chromodorididae, (Nudibranchia). Asian Marine Biology, 7: 31-79.

Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 2000 (July 4) Chromodoris sinensis Rudman, 1985. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/chrosine

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