Home Guide to Opisthobranchs Nudibranchia Cladobranchia Dendronotoidea Doto paulinae

Doto paulinae

Doto paulinae Trinchese, 1881

Doto paulinae by Enric Madrenas

Taxonomy
 

Superdomain

Biota  

 

Kingdom

Animalia  

 

Phylum

Mollusca  

 

Class

Gastropoda  

 

Subclass

Heterobranchia  

 

Infraclass

Euthyneura  

 

Subterclass

Ringipleura  

 

Superorder

Nudipleura  

 

Order

Nudibranchia  

 

Suborder

Cladobranchia  

 

Superfamily

Dendronotoidea  

 

Family

Dotidae  

 

Genus

Doto  

 

Species

Doto paulinae  Trinchese, 1881

 
 Classification according to Bouchet et al. (2017)
Taxonomic source: World Register of Marine Species (AphiaID: 139649).
Synonyms

  • Doto styligera Hesse, 1872

Description
This species usually reaches a length of 7-8 mm. The general body coloration is a slightly translucent whitish or yellowish because of the internal viscera. Cephalic veil is semi-transparent and it is not pigmented. All the back is crossed by a brown band sometimes discontinuous or broken, which invades the back of the head and also stains the inside of the rhinophoric sheaths. Brown spots may also be present on the flanks of the animal. The rhinophores have white granulations aligned along their front and back; the rhinophoric sheaths have a slightly lobed upper margin and lack of white granulations. There are 4-5 pairs of cerata, up to 6 pairs in older specimens up to 10 mm in length. The first 3-4 cerata are large and very similar, the other are generally smaller and the last is usually atrophied. In well developed cerata there are usually 3 or 4 rings of 4 to 5 very little rounded prominent tubercles. The apical tubercle, on the contrary, is quite prominent and has a very wide base. The most characteristic feature of this species is definitely the colour of the cerata. All tubercles, but the apical one, are covered by a brown stain (of the same hue as the rest of the body stains) that covers most of the tubercle. The apical tubercle is opaque white, due to an accumulation of white granulations. At the base of the cerata there is usually a brown stain. There is no pseudobranchia on the inner side of the cerata.

Biology
Very few biological data are known on this species. D. paulinae has been cited on hydrarian colonies of Aglaophenia pluma and Eudendrium sp., and it has been reported feeding on Obelia geniculata (Schmekel & Kress, 1977). Schmekel & Portmann (1982) indicate that the spawn of this species have very small white eggs, between 60 and 77 microns in diameter.

Etymology

  • Doto, from Latin Doto, a sea nymph, from Greek Dōtō.
  • Paulinae, dedicated to Pauline, but this person relation to the author is unknown.

Distribution
There are very few reports for this species, which so far it seems distributed along the Northwestern Mediterranean basin. It has been cited in Genoa (Italy), Villefranche-sur-mer (France) and Capo Miseno (Gulf of Naples, Italy). In the Iberian Peninsula it is known only from the Levantine coast and in Catalonia (Cervera et al. 2004). There are reports from Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Spain). In the Catalan coast it has been found in the Cap de Creus, L’Escala, Illes Medes, Tossa de Mar and Blanes.

Known georeferenced records of the species: Doto paulinae
Sources:
: OBIS
: GROC 2010-2011
: Enric Madrenas
: João Pedro Silva
: Bernard Picton
: GBIF.ORG		 : OPK
: VIMAR
: Manuel Ballesteros.
: M@re Nostrum
: Altres fonts
: Marine Regions

Similar species
Doto floridicola, quite similar, ceratal tubercles with bigger red patches. Cerata without white coloured differentiated apical tubercle.

More pictures

Doto paulinae by Enric Madrenas
Doto paulinae @ Tascons Petits (Medes) 12/02/2011 by Miquel Pontes
Doto paulinae by Miquel Pontes
Doto paulinae by Enric Madrenas
Doto paulinae by Enric Madrenas

Bibliography

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Further reading

Cite this article as:

Pujals, Á., Ballesteros, M., Madrenas, E. & Pontes, M. (2012-2025) "Doto paulinae" in OPK-Opistobranquis. Published: 19/06/2013. Accessed: 03/02/2025. Available at (https://opistobranquis.info/en/?p=7490)