Chromodoris rubrocornuta
Rudman, 1985

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

DISTRIBUTION

Known at present only from the western Pacific from north Queensland, Australia, Marshall Islands, Hong Kong and Japan.

PHOTO

Hoi Ha, Flynn Point, 3m, Hong Kong, 18 April 1982, AM C138518. Holotype. PHOTOS: Brian Darvell.

This is one of the many species of chromodorids which are white with either red, yellow or orange mantle borders, or a combination of two or three bands. C. rubrocornuta is one of a group of species, which I have called the Chromodoris fidelis colour group, which have an orange outer band at the mantle edge and an inner, often broken band of pink, red or purple. Its name is derived from its red rhinophores. Largest known specimen 13 mm long preserved.

If the animals in Scott Johnson's messages below, showing variation in the background colour of the mantle from white to yellow, are in fact this species then it seems the edge of the rhinophore lamellae can be white. In the photographs available to me from Hong Kong, the rhinophore club appeared a translucent red.

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 fo 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 (December 30) Chromodoris rubrocornuta Rudman, 1985. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/chrorubr

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