Doto paulinae? from French Mediterranean

May 1, 2006
From: Marina Poddubetskaia Ossokine

Dear Bill,

I need your help to identify this distinctive Doto from the Mediterranean coast of France. Is it Doto paulinae, please ? It looks similar to Doto floridicola, but with brown pigmentation and white terminal ceratal tubercle.
I found it on Aglaophenia and I saw it laying this egg-ribbon (maybe not finished because I disturbed the animal).

Locality: 'La digue', Port-Leucate , 2m, France, Mediterranean, 12 April 2006. Length: animal : 8mm / eggs : 2mm. Photographer: Marina Poddubetskaia Ossokine.

Thank you in advance.
All the best,
Marina.
Nembro website

nembro@nembro.info

Poddubetskaia Ossokine, M., 2006 (May 1) Doto paulinae? from French Mediterranean. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/16426

Dear Marina,
I could be quite wrong but I suspect this is a dark brown form of D. floridicola, but as I don't know if this species has a brown form I would welcome some feedback from local experts. The descriptions of D. paulinae  I have looked at don't show any particular distinctive colour features I could say fit your animals. More importantly, D. paulinae is reported to feed on Obelia geniculata while you say your species, like D. floridicola, feeds on Aglaophenia. Since species of Doto seem to be quite specific feeders, I suspect your animal is not D. paulinae. I welcome some local advice, but my guess is that it is probably a colour form of D. floridicola.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2006 (May 1). Comment on Doto paulinae? from French Mediterranean by Marina Poddubetskaia Ossokine. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/16426

Factsheet

Doto paulinae

Related messages

  1. Re: Doto paulinae? from French Mediterranean
    From: Marina Ossokine, May 15, 2006
  2. Re: Doto paulinae? from French Mediterranean
    From: Marina Poddubetskaia Ossokine, May 4, 2006

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