Home Guide to Opisthobranchs Nudibranchia Cladobranchia Dendronotoidea Doto pita

Doto pita

Doto pita Er. Marcus, 1955

Doto pita on hydroid @ Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote, Spain by Dennis Rabeling

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 pita  Er. Marcus, 1955

 
 Classification according to Bouchet et al. (2017)
Taxonomic source: World Register of Marine Species (AphiaID: 532765).
Description
Body up to 7 mm. long. The colour of body and cerata is yellowish gray beneath a translucent white epidermis, with brownish spots on the back (missing in some NE Atlantic specimens) and some white spot on the head and cardiac area. The clubs of the rhinophores are smooth, with the base stained in red in Western Atlantic older specimens (but not in Eastern Atlantic ones) and with white spots to the tip. Funnel-shaped, tight and short rhinophoric sheaths whose margin is even and coloured white because of white spots accumulation, Eastern Atlantic specimens have the inside of the sheath pigmented in red continuing the dorsal pigmentation. Cerata along the dorsal margins are setup in similar sized 3-4 pairs, and another less developed pair closer to the tail. No distinct branchial thickenings at the base of cerata. Cerata shape is somewhat jaggy, the greatest width lies above the middle, with a conical tip. Each cera bears a few irregularly scattered, bluntly angled, small conical tubercles that do not form circlets, with characteristic small white spheres inside. Digestive gland inside the cerata may vary from white to cream-orange. The foot is narrow and ends in a pointed tail. The cephalic velum has very reduced lobes. Gonopore located below first right cera, anus right behind but in dorsal position, showing a cylindric anal papilla.

Biology
Often found on Padina and Galaxaura sea weeds in the Atlantic coasts of America, found on hydrarians in the Canary Islands. The egg spawn is laid along the stolons of the Sertulariids it feeds on, shaped as a thin cord of white eggs laid in spiral on the hydrozoa.

Etymology

  • Doto, from Latin Doto, a sea nymph, from Greek Dōtō.
  • Pita. Marcus was not prone to explain the origin of the species he described. However, pita is a fiber obtained from the plant Agave americana and other similar species, used for making cordage and paper.

Distribution
Described at Island of São Sebastião, Brazil (Marcus, 1955); Ilhabela, Brazil (Marcus, 1957); Frigate Bay, St. Kitts (Marcus & Marcus, 1963); Virginia Key, Miami, Florida (Marcus & Marcus, 1963). Also from Madeira (Wirtz, 1999) and the Canary Islands (Ortea et al., 1999). Records from Japan (Baba, 1971) and Australia (GBIF) probably correspond to a similar but distinct species because D. pita is only known from the Atlantic.

Known georeferenced records of the species: Doto pita
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

Abundance

    Western Mediterranean: ☆☆☆☆☆
    Eastern Mediterranean: ☆☆☆☆☆
    Atlantic Ocean: ★☆☆☆☆
Month

This chart displays the monthly observation probability for Doto pita based on our own records.

More pictures

Doto pita on hydroid @ Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote, Spain by Dennis Rabeling
Doto pita and cerata detail. Reproduced from Er.Marcus (1955)
Doto pita egg spawn @ Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote, Spain by Dennis Rabeling
Doto pita from Cuba. B,C rhinophores Cuba specimens; D rhinophore Canary Islands specimen. Reproduced from Ortea et al (1999)
Doto pita on hydroid @ Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote, Spain by Dennis Rabeling
Doto pita on hydroid @ Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote, Spain by Dennis Rabeling
Doto pita on hydroid @ Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote, Spain by Dennis Rabeling
Doto pita on hydroid @ Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote, Spain by Dennis Rabeling
Doto pita on hydroid @ Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote, Spain by Dennis Rabeling
Doto pita reproduced from Er.Marcus (1955)b
Doto pita ventral view. Reproduced from Edmunds & Just (1985)
Doto pita with egg spawn @ Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote, Spain by Dennis Rabeling
Doto pita with egg spawn @ Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote, Spain by Dennis Rabeling
Doto pita, Canary Islands specimen. Reproduced from Ortea et al (1999)

Bibliography

    Abbott, R. T. 1974. American seashells. The marine mollusca of the Atlantic and Pacific coast of North America. Van Nostrand, New York. 663 pp., 24 pls. [October 1974].
    Baba, K. 1971. New record in Japan of Doto (Doto) pita Marcus, 1955, a nudibranch gastropod. Appendix: list of the Dotoidae from Japan. Collecting & Breeding Saishu to Shiiku 33(6):131-132.
    Baba, K. 1971. Anatomical studies on three species of Doto (D. bella, D. japonica and D. pita) from Japan (Nudibranchia: Dendronotoidea: Dotoidae). Publications of the Seto Marine Biological Laboratory 19(2/3):73-79, pls. 4-5.
    Baker, J. L. 2004. Towards a system of ecologically representative marine protected areas in South  Australian Marine bioregions - Technical Report. Prepared for Coast & Marine Conservation Branch,  Department for Environment & Heritage, South Australia. Part 2, 337 pp.
    Ballesteros, M., E. Madrenas, and M. Pontes. 2023. OPK - Opistobranquis. (https://opistobranquis.info/).
    Cervera, J. L., G. Calado, C. Gavaia, M. A. E. Malaquías, J. Templado, M. Ballesteros, J. C. García-Gómez, and C. Megina. 2004. An annotated and updated checklist of the opisthobranchs (Mollusca: Gastropoda) from Spain and Portugal (including islands and archipelagos). Boletín Instituto Español de Oceanografía, 20 (1-4): 1-111. L.
    Debelius, H., and R. H. Kuiter. 2007. Nudibranchs of the world. IKAN- Unterwasserarchiv, Frankfurt.
    Edmunds, M., and H. Just. 1985. Dorid, dendronotid and arminid nudibranchiate Mollusca from Barbados. J. Molluscan Stud. 51(1):52-63.
    Fischer, M. A. 2006. Opisthobranchs from the Chilean coast, a taxonomic, morphological and  histological study of nudibranch species.
    Frank, B. et al. 1998. Doto pita accessed through: JaxShells.org on 2014-12-14. (http://www.jaxshells.org/pita.htm).
    Garcia, F. J., and H. Bertsch. 2009. Diversity and distribution of the Gastropoda Opisthobranchia from the Atlantic Ocean: A global biogeographic approach. Scientia Marina. 73: 153–160.
    Imamoto, J. 2001. Doto pita accessed through: Umiushi.info on 2014-12-14. (http://www.umiushi.info/kanri/photo_sql_eng.php?act=PSP&gakumei1=Doto&gakumei2=pita&location_code=0000#).
    Long, S. J. 2006. Bibliography of Opisthobranchia 1554-2000. Bayside Books & Press, Tustin, CA, U.S.A. 672p.
    Marcus, E. G. 1961. Opisthobranch mollusks from California. Veliger 3(suppl):1-85, pls. 1-10.
    Marcus, E. d. B. R. 1977. An annotated checklist of the western Atlantic warm water opisthobranchs. J. Molluscan Stud., Suppl 4:1-23.
    Marcus, E. G. 1955. Opisthobranchia from Brazil. Boletim da Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciencias e Letras, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Zoology, 207, 20:89-261, pls. 1-30.
    Marcus, Er. 1957. On opisthobranchia from Brazil 2. Journal of the Linnean Society of London (Zoology) 43(292): 390-486.
    Marcus, E. d. B. R., and E. G. Marcus. 1963. Opisthobranchs from the Lesser Antilles. Studies on the Fauna of Curacao and other Caribbean Islands 19(79):1-76.
    Marcus, Er., and Ev. Marcus. 1960. Opisthobranchs from American Atlantic warm waters. Bull. Mar. Sci. 10(2):129-203.
    Marcus, E. d. B. R., and E. G. Marcus. 1964. Verzeichnis der euthyneuren Meeresschneken Brasiliens. Beitrage zur Neotropischen Fauna 3(3):195-206.
    Marcus, E. d. B. R., and E. G. Marcus. 1967. American opisthobranch mollusks Part I, Tropical American opisthobranchs. Studies in Tropical Oceanography, Miami 6(1-2):vii + 1-256, 1 pl.
    McDonald, G. 2009. Bibliographia Nudibranchia. 2nd Online Edition, Annotated. 1072 pp  Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz. (http://escholarship.org/uc/item/8115h0wz).
    McDonald, G. R., and J. W. Nybakken. 1999. A worldwide review of the food of nudibranch mollusks. II The suborder Dendronotacea. A list of the worldwide food habits of nudibranchs. The Veliger. 62–66.
    Moro, L., J. L. Martín Esquivel, M. J. Garrido Sanahuja, and I. Izquierdo Zamora. 2003. Lista de especies marinas de Canarias (algas, hongos, plantas y animales). Consejería de Política Territorial y Medio Ambiente del Gobierno de Canarias.
    Ono, A. 2004. Opisthobranchs of Ryukyu Islands. Rutles Inc., Japan.
    Ortea, J. 2001. El género Doto Oken, 1815 (Mollusca: Nudibranchia) en el mar Caribe: Historia natural y descripción de nuevas especies. Avicennia Suppl. 3 : 1-46.
    Ortea, J., and V. Urgorri. 1978. El género Doto Oken, 1815 en el Norte y Noroeste de Espana. Boletín de la Estación Central de Ecología ICONA 7 (14): 73-92.
    Ortea, J. A., L. Moro, J. Espinosa, and J. J. Bacallado. 1999. Doto pita Marcus, 1955 (Nudibranchia: Dendronotoidea), un nuevo Opistobranquio anfiatlántico. Revista de la Academia Canaria de Ciencias 11(3-4):75-82.
    Ortea, J., M. C. L. Moro, and J. J. Bacallado. 2003. Resultados Científicos del proyecto “Macaronesia 2000” Chinijo-2002: Moluscos Opistobranquios. Revista de la Academia Canaria de Ciencias 14 (3-4): 165-180.
    Ortea, J. A., L. Moro, J. J. Bacallado, and R. Herrera. 2001. Catálogo actualizado de los Moluscos Opistobranquios de las Islas Canarias. Revista de la Academia Canaria de Ciencias. 12: 105–136.
    Powell, A. W. B. 1979. New Zealand Mollusca. Marine, Land and Freshwater Shells. Collins, Auckland, xiv.
    Rios, E. C. 1975. Brazilian marine mollusks iconography, 331 pp, 91 pls. Fundacao Universidade do Rio Grande, Centro de Ciencias do Mar, Museu Oceanografico.
    Rudman W.B. et al. 1998. Doto pita accessed through: Sea Slug Forum on 2014-12-14. (http://seaslugforum.net/showall/dotopita).
    Spencer, H. G., and R. C. Willan. 1996. The Marine Fauna of New Zealand: Index to the Fauna: 3. Mollusca. New Zealand Oceanographic Institute Memoir 105. ISBN 0-478 08351-3: 125pp.
    Suzuki, K. 2000. Opisthobranchs of Izu Peninsula. TBS, Tokyo 184p.; 500+ clr. photos.
    Swennen, C. 1961. On a collection of Opisthobranchia from Turkey. Zoologische Mededelingen, Leiden 38 (3): 41-75.
    Thompson, T. E. 1972. Eastern Australian Dendronotoidea (Gastropoda: Opisthobranchia). Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 51(1):63-77.
    Turgeon, D., J. F. Quinn, A. E. Bogan, E. V. Coan, F. G. Hochberg, W. G. Lyons, P. M. Mikkelsen, R. J. Neves, C. F. E. Roper, G. Rosenberg, B. Roth, A. Scheltema, F. G. Thompson, M. Vecchione, and J. D. Williams. 1998. Common and scientific names of aquatic invertebrates from the United States and Canada: mollusks. 2nd ed. American Fisheries Society Special Publication, 26.
    Valdés, A., J. Hamann, D. W. Behrens, and A. DuPont. 2006. Caribbean sea slugs: a field guide to the opisthobranch mollusks from the tropical northwestern Atlantic. Washington: Sea Challengers Natural History Books. 289 pp.
    Willan, R. C. 1987. Description of a new aeolid nudibranch (Mollusca: Opisthobranchia) belonging to the genus Phidiana. N.Z. J. Zool. 14(3):409-417.
    Willan, R. C., and J. Morton. 1984. Marine Molluscs, Part 2; Opisthobranchia. University of Auckland, Leigh Marine Laboratory. Auckland, New Zealand: 106 pp.
    WoRMS Editorial Board. 2023. World Register of Marine Species. WoRMS. (http://www.marinespecies.org).

    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

Cite this article as:

Pontes, Miquel (2023) "Doto pita" in OPK-Opistobranquis. Published: 06/03/2021. Accessed: 04/12/2023. Available at (https://opistobranquis.info/en/?p=31796)

To copy this cite click on the right button.