Doto? From Massachusetts

June 20, 2002
From: Paul Young


My wife and I were diving recently at Back Beach in Rockport, Massachusetts [USA]. We found this critter in about 15' of water. It is about 7mm long. The first photo shows the animal better but the second shows the rhinophore sheaths better. We suspect it is a Doto. [Photos by Paul Young].
Paul

young@underwater.org

Young, P. , 2002 (Jun 20) Doto? From Massachusetts. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/7288

Dear Paul,
This is difficult to identify as it is a Doto with no spots or markings apart from white glandular marks which most species have. I would call it Doto fragilis if I found it here in the Eastern Atlantic. However there is some evidence that Doto fragilis in Europe may be a composite species. Individuals feeding on the Hydroid Nemertesia antennina and Nemertesia ramosa are considered typical in appearance, but smaller individuals with paler coloration are found on Halecium halecinum. Christine Morrow ran some gel-electrophoresis on these two types and there was some evidence that they were genetically isolated - implying that they are distinct species. There is also a form of Doto fragilis which we call the 'giant' form which feeds on Halecium muricatum. Given the strict diet-specificity in other Doto species I suspect that we are looking at three species grouped under the name Doto fragilis here in the NE Atlantic.

I have also sent some photos of the various forms of this species from the British Isles for comparison.
Bernard Picton
bernard.picton.um@nics.gov.uk

Picton, B.E., 2002 (Jun 20). Comment on Doto? From Massachusetts by Paul Young . [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/7288

Factsheet

Doto fragilis

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