Correct genus for Chromodoris kempfi

March 19, 2002
From: Elianny Dominguez Tejo

Dear Bill,
You said in an earlier message that Chromodoris kempfi is perhaps a species of Mexichromis or Durvilledoris, because of the radulae. Has someone work on that subject and established the differences? (do you have the complete reference?). Or is C. kempfi still Chromodoris?
Kind regards,
Elianny.

eliannydominguez@hotmail.com

Dominguez Tejo, E., 2002 (Mar 19) Correct genus for Chromodoris kempfi. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/6448

Dear Elianny,
In Eveline Marcus's original description she describes the radula as 'very small' and as having 3-8 denticles, and the jaw rodlets having '2-5 spines'. This is quite unlike the buccal armature of a species of Chromodoris and very similar to that of a species of Mexichromis, which as its name suggests, is based on a species from the Pacific coast of Mexico, M. antonii.

I don't know of any review of the anatomy of Chromodoris kempfi, but I suspect when that occurs, it will turn out to be something other than a species of Chromodoris. My guess would be Mexichromis. If you do intend to look yourself, then be very careful you do not lose the radula. If it is a species of Mexichromis, then the radula will be so small that the whole buccal bulb can be hidden in the oral tube and appear to be absent. In a review of the chromodorid genera (Rudman, 1984) I did suggest that C. kempfi was most probably a species of Mexichromis, but as now, that was based on Marcus's description.

• Marcus, E., 1970. Opisthobranchs from northern Brazil. Bulletin of Marine Science, 24: 922-951.
• Rudman, W.B. (1984) The Chromodorididae (Opisthobranchia: Mollusca) of the Indo-West Pacific: a review of the genera. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 81: 115-273.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2002 (Mar 19). Comment on Correct genus for Chromodoris kempfi by Elianny Dominguez Tejo. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/6448

Factsheet

Mexichromis kempfi

Related messages

  1. Re: Mexichromis kempfi from Little Cayman, British West Indies
    From: Vinicius Padula, November 27, 2008
  2. Mexichromis kempfi from Little Cayman, BWI
    From: Deborah Chambers, November 26, 2008
  3. Re: Mexichromis kempfi from Brazil
    From: Vinicius Padula, January 12, 2007
  4. Mexichromis kempfi from Brazil
    From: Armando de Luca Junior, January 10, 2007
  5. Mexichromis kempfi from Cozumel, Mexico
    From: Charles Hopf, October 27, 2006
  6. Mexichromis kempfi from Cozumel
    From: James Lyle, August 22, 2006
  7. Re: Nudibranch in Little Cayman?
    From: Matan Ninio, January 17, 2006
  8. Nudibranch in Little Cayman?
    From: Larissa Roorda, January 16, 2006
  9. Mexichromus kempfi from Bonaire
    From: Les Wilk, December 15, 2005
  10. Unknown chromodorid from Brazil
    From: Armando de Luca Junior, March 5, 2005
  11. Chromodoris kempfi - 'trailing' behaviour
    From: Andreas Ahrens, March 6, 2003
  12. Chromodoris kempfi from Colombia
    From: Phanor Montoya, October 20, 2000
  13. Chromodoris kempfi? from Colombia's Caribbean coast
    From: P. Montoya, March 31, 2000
  14. Chromodoris kempfi from Florida
    From: Anne Dupont, October 11, 1999

Show factsheet and all related messages