Home Guide to Opisthobranchs Nudibranchia Doridina Doridoidei Doridoidea Doris marmorata

Doris marmorata

Doris marmorata Risso, 1818

Doris marmorata @ L'Escala, Spain by Enric Madrenas

Taxonomy
 

Superdomain

Biota  

 

Kingdom

Animalia  

 

Phylum

Mollusca  

 

Class

Gastropoda  

 

Subclass

Heterobranchia  

 

Infraclass

Euthyneura  

 

Subterclass

Ringipleura  

 

Superorder

Nudipleura  

 

Order

Nudibranchia  

 

Suborder

Doridina  

 

Infraorder

Doridoidei  

 

Superfamily

Doridoidea  

 

Family

Dorididae  

 

Genus

Doris  

 

Species

Doris marmorata  Risso, 1818

 
 Classification according to Bouchet et al. (2017)
Taxonomic source: World Register of Marine Species (AphiaID: 139618).
Description
Doridacean with an oval body, with a maximum size of 12 mm. Body with a firm and rough texture. Slightly domed back, covered with sparsely spaced rounded tubercles, some of which are tipped with orange-red color, almost absent in the central part of the mantle. Grayish-white mantle, with some reddish-brown areas, which correspond to the internal viscera, visible due to transparency. The mantle is bordered by a series of tubercles arranged closely together so that they have the appearance of scales, some of which are reddish brown. Retractable rhinophores, slightly conical in shape, with the distal part stained red, with up to 15 relatively wide lamellae. Rhinophoric sheaths low, with some protuberances on the edge and with two “normal” tubercles on each side. Gills located on the back of the mantle, where six pinnate white leaves can be seen forming a circle around the anus. The mantle completely covers the foot, which is narrow and elongated, with rounded and entire ends, and with the anterior part topped by an oral tentacle on each side of the mouth. The entire lower part of the body is white, but the posterior third of the foot can show a reddish hue due to the internal viscera.

Biology
Very rare species due to its minute size, many details of its biology are unknown. All the specimens found to date appeared under stones where, like the other dorids, it probably feeds on sponges.

Etymology

  • Doris. In Greek mythology Doris was a sea nymph, one of the many children of Oceanus and Tethys, wife of Nereus and mother of the Nereids.
  • Marmorata. From Latin verb “marmoro”, to coat in marble.

Distribution
Initially described on the coast of Nice (France), it has also been reported on Pipéri Island (Greece) and in Porto Paone (Naples, Italy). A recent discovery by Enric Madrenas on the coast of L’Escala (Girona, Spain) is probably the first record for the Iberian Peninsula.

Known georeferenced records of the species: Doris marmorata
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 Doris marmorata based on our own records.

More pictures

Doris marmorata by Enric Madrenas
Doris marmorata by Enric Madrenas
Doris marmorata by Enric Madrenas
Doris marmorata by Enric Madrenas
Doris marmorata by Enric Madrenas
Doris marmorata by Schmekel & Portmann (1982)

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

Cite this article as:

Pontes, Miquel (2012-2025) "Doris marmorata" in OPK-Opistobranquis. Published: 28/02/2024. Accessed: 03/02/2025. Available at (https://opistobranquis.info/en/?p=43162)