Doto escatllari

Doto escatllari Ortea, Moro & Espinosa, 1998

Doto escatllari @ Gran Canaria by Mario Matute

Description
The length of the body varies between 5 and 9 mm, it is yellowish, while in the smaller specimens (2 to 4 mm) it is whitish. In the smallest specimens the body is transparent and the yellowish digestive gland can be seen through transparency. It has black spots distributed along the back and flanks. The dorsal spots are larger than the lateral ones and tend to cluster towards the head, where they form a large spot behind the rhinophores. On the flanks, the spots are scattered thick spots. The foot of the animal follows the general tone of the body and lacks any significant black spots. The rhinophoric sheath is yellowish and decorated with a border of small white spots, a pattern that is repeated on the border of the head and the oral palps. The rhinophores are completely covered by fine opaque white dots. The cerata are organized in up to five groups in the largest specimens, they are light yellow in color, similar to that of the body, with some diffuse darker spots in their interior. The larger cerata belong to the second group. The ceratal tubercles, which are arranged in up to 3 groups per cera, are rounded and culminate in an apex of iridescent blue color, the apical tubercle having a similar shape to those of the immediately lower group and presents white granules under the blue pigment. This blue tone can be difficult to distinguish under direct light. Scattered pink granules can be seen between the groups of tubercles. Some cerata have a black spot at their base. The pseudobranch is a large elongated tubercle in the shape of a awl, which extends from the base to the second group of tubercles. It is not branched and has blue spots at its end. The gonad is white and can be seen between the second and fifth group of cerata. The anal papilla is cylindrical, prominent and white.

Biology
Its biology is unknown, but all findings have occurred in rocky walls covered with hydrarians, which it likely feeds on, as do other members of the genus.

Etymology

• escatllari, in honour of Joaquín Escatllar, a collecting companion of the authors during the El Hierro-97 campaign.

Distribution
This species has only found in the Canary Islands. So far there are confirmed records at the Mar de las Calmas (El Hierro), at Ensenada de Zapata (Tenerife), at Lanzarote and in the coast of Gran Canaria.

More pictures

Bibliography

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Bibliography based on the works by Steve Long, 2006. Bibliography of Opisthobranchia 1554-2000 and Gary McDonald, 2009. Bibliographia Nudibranchia, with later updates from other resources.

Further reading

• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• Flickr pictures
• Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera
• NCBI GenBank
• OBIS - Search by Taxon
• World Register of Marine Species

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