Re: Dendronotus dalli from Alaska

February 19, 2008
From: Marianne Lawrence

Concerning message #7682:

I was diving at La Jolla Shores in San Diego, CA last week on a night dive. Unfortunately I did not have a camera and I could not get the attention of my dive buddies as I saw a nudibranch I could not identify. I have seen many varieties but nothing of this type. I thought it must be a variety of Dendronotus frondosus because it was a light brown color but it just didn't look like the many others I have seen before. It looked just like the Dendrontus dalli picture but it was a tan/light brown color with tiny white spots all over it. Any idea what it could be? The Dendrontus dalli isn't supposed to be this far south.

Marianne

mml712001@yahoo.com

Lawrence, M., 2008 (Feb 19) Re: Dendronotus dalli from Alaska. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/21331

Hi Marianne,

You are correct, San Diego is much to far south for the cold temperate Dendronotus dalli. I am quite sure you saw one of the many color variations of D. frondosus. I have received a number of photos of specimens similar your description recently from the San Diego gang.

Here is a little hint for the next time you see these guys. The surface of the body in Dendronotus dalli is smooth with no specks, whereas the skin texture of D. frondosus is bumpy, almost tuberculate, and covered with specks.

Good luck,
Dave Behrens

Behrens, D.W., 2008 (Feb 19). Comment on Re: Dendronotus dalli from Alaska by Marianne Lawrence. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/21331

Factsheet

Dendronotus frondosus

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