Digidentis kulonba
(Burn, 1966)

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

DISTRIBUTION

Known only from southeastern Australia [Victoria and nthn Tasmania].

PHOTO

Upper: Mersey Bluff, Devonport, nthn Tasmania, 4 m, 19 November 1985, 50 mm long alive, AM C148240. Lower: Sister's Is, NW Tasmania, 15 m, 18 Aug 1985, 23 mm long alive, AM C147652. Photos: Bill Rudman.

The body is relatively high and elongate and there is a reasonably wide mantle overlap all around the body. The posterior part of the foot extends some way behind the mantle, The mantle glands form a thin band alla round the mantle edge with some dendritic branching extending some distance in across the mantle skirt. The opaque white glands are clearly visible against the translucent whitish back ground colour. The edge of the mantle can be irregularly scalloped, The gills are simple. The whole body is translucent white, including the mantle, gills and the rhinophores. Around the edge of the mantle is a thin band of milky yellow, more visible in some specimens than others. A similar band is found around the edge of the foot. It grows to at least 50 mm long alive.

The foregut and radula morphology are quite different f rom species of Chromodoris and Hypselodoris, the genus in which this species was first placed. The oral tube is long and large, more than three times the length of the buccal bulb, and the shape of the radular teeth, with the tip bearing four recurved denticles at the tip much like the fingers of a half-clenched fist, gave rise the the genus name Digidentis. [digi = finger; dentis = teeth ].  At present the three known species of this genus are found only in southeastern Australia.

• Burn, R., (1966). On three new Chromodoridinae from Australia (Opisthobranchia: Nudibranchia). The Veliger, 8: 191-197.
• Rudman, W. B. (1984). The Chromodorididae (Opistobranchia: Mollusca) of the Indo-West Pacific: A review of the genera. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 81: 115-273
• 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.

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