Striped dorid from South Africa eating what?
September 7, 2007
From: Valda Fraser
![](/images/m20660a.jpg)
Dear Bill
In Jan 2001 you posted a message from me [#2670] with this fellow featuring as the star, Mr Stripey Dorid; a very common inhabitant in deeper water off KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.
Locality: Pumula, KwaZulu-Natal, 42 m, South Africa, Indian, Jan 2007, Sponge on reef. Length: 15 mm. Photographer: Valda Fraser.
My question today relates to the sponge on which it and lots of others were feeding. What on earth is the pink "stuff" on the sponge? Please help.
Regards
Valda Fraser
valdafraser@mweb.co.za
![](/images/m20660d.jpg)
Dear Valda,
I am still no closer to a name for this animal. It certainly has some similarities to Paradoris sp 1 and Paradoris sp 2 but that doesn't get us far as I don't really know if they are really species of Paradoris. Perhaps Terry Gosliner's school of dorid experts can give us some comments.
Concerning the pink stuff. My first thought was an octocoral with retracted polyps and on close examination I found what looks like a semi-retracted polyp with 8 tentacles which would support my octocoral idea. If the dorid is eating the pink stuff, and if it is an octocoral, that would be interesting, as dorids don't normally feed on cnidarians
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Related messages
-
Unidentified sea slug from South Africa
From: Neil Wiltshire, March 3, 2010 -
Unidentified dorid from Mozambique
From: Valda Fraser, May 30, 2008 -
Re: Possible Eubranchus from False Bay
From: Guido Zsilavecz, June 11, 2007 -
Possible Eubranchus from False Bay
From: Georgina Jones, May 25, 2007 -
Unidentified dorid from Capetown, Sth Africa [1]
From: Andrew Taylor, February 13, 2006 -
Unidentified dorid from Capetown, Sth Africa [2]
From: Andrew Taylor, February 13, 2006 -
Unidentified dorid from Capetown, Sth Africa [3]
From: Andrew Taylor, February 13, 2006 -
Unknown dorid - Gargamella? - from Sth Africa
From: Charles Rowe, September 16, 2005 -
Re: Stripy dorid from South Africa
From: Riaan Marx, January 6, 2004 -
Armina from South Africa
From: Valda Fraser, October 1, 2002 -
South African dorid
From: Valda Fraser, September 6, 2001 -
Dermatobranchus sp from South Africa
From: Valda Fraser, August 4, 2001 -
Stripy dorid from South Africa
From: Valda Fraser, January 28, 2001 -
Tritoniids from South Africa
From: Valda Fraser, January 5, 2001 -
Re: elongate dorid from S.A.
From: Valda Fraser, October 6, 2000 -
Elongate dorid from South Africa
From: Valda Fraser, September 20, 2000 -
Unknown aeolid from South Africa
From: Valda Fraser, March 8, 2000 -
Cratena from South Africa
From: Valda Fraser, March 6, 2000