Doris sticta (Iredale & O’Donoghue, 1923)
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 sticta (Iredale & O'Donoghue, 1923) | |
| Classification according to Bouchet et al. (2017) Taxonomic source: World Register of Marine Species (AphiaID: 139622). | ||
- Archidoris maculata (Garstang, 1896)
- Archidoris maculata lutea Vayssière, 1919
- Doridigitata sticta Iredale & O’Donoghue, 1923 (original)
- Doris eubalia Fischer P., 1872
- Doris maculata Garstang, 1896
- Glossodoris dorbignii Gray, 1850
Description
This nudibranch can reach a size of more than 40 mm long. Its overall color is yellow or cream. Very large rounded tubercles outstand on the back, there are many smaller tubercles radiating raised ridges connecting them all, giving the appearance of a grid on the dorsum. The color of tubercles is usually dark brown or slightly purple. The size of the tubercles decreases from the center to the edges of the dorsum. The rhinophores are yellowish, the base is semi-transparent and there are twenty thin lamellae on its upper portion, while the terminal mucron is underdeveloped. The rhinophoric sheath has two thick tubercles like the ones on the dorsum, one on the outer side and another on the inner side. Gill is composed by 5-6 tripinnate yellow leaves coloured in a slightly lighter shade than the body. The foot is also yellow and the mouth has a pair of short oral palps.
Biology
Very little is known about this rare species of nudibranch. In the British coast it has been observed in the subtidal rocky bottoms with sponges and cnidarians like Corynactis viridis. In the Catalan coast it has appeared deeper in commercial trawl fishering grounds like those found in front of the town of Blanes (Domenech et al. 2006) and in front of Barcelona (Ballesteros, 1985). It is assumed that it feeds on sponges like Ciocalypta penicillus. The spawn is a spiral wound ribbon of two turns with white or slightly yellowish eggs.
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.
- Sticta. Latinization of Greek “stiktē”, feminine of “stiktos”, tattooed, spotted.
Distribution
Very little is known about its presence but literature indicates that is distributed from the north of the British Isles to the Mediterranean Sea, also cited in the Atlantic coast of Morocco and Madeira. In the Iberian Peninsula it has been recorded in the Bay of Biscay, in Portugal, in the Strait of Gibraltar and Catalonia (in the trawling grounds in front of Blanes, and Barcelona).
| 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: | |
More pictures
Bibliography
Ballesteros, M. 1980. Contribución al conocimientos de los Sacoglosos y Nudibranquios (Mollusca: Opisthobranchia). Estudio anatómico, sistemático y faunístico de las especies del mediterráneo español. Tesis Doctoral.
Ballesteros, M. 2007. Lista actualizada de los opistobranquios (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Opisthobranchia) de las costas catalanas. Spira. 2: 163–188.
Ballesteros, M., E. Madrenas, and M. Pontes. 2016. Actualización del catálogo de los moluscos opistobranquios (Gastropoda: Heterobranchia) de las costas catalanas. Spira 6(2016): 1-28.
Ballesteros, M., M. Pontes, and E. Madrenas. 2019. Els nudibranquis del mar català. Brau Edicions, Figueres.
Ballesteros, M., E. Madrenas, and M. Pontes. 2022. OPK - Opistobranquis. (https://opistobranquis.info/).
Bedulli, D., R. Cattaneo-Vietti, R. Chemello, F. Ghisotti, and F. Giovine. 1995. Gastropoda Opisthobranchia, Divasibranchia, Gymnomorpha, Fascicolo 15, pp. 1-23. In: A. Minelli, A. Ruffo, & S. La Posta (Eds.). Checklist delle specie fauna italiana, Checklist delle specie della Fauna Italiana. Calderini, Bologna.
Brown, G. H., and B. E. Picton. 1979. Nudibranchs of the British Isles — a colour guide. Underwater Conservation Society, Manchester, by R. Earll.
Calado, G., M. Malaquias, C. Gavaia, J. L. Cervera, C. Megina, B. Dayrat, Y. Camacho, M. Pola, and C. Grance. 2003. New data on opisthobranchs (Mollusca: Gastropoda) from the southwestern coast of Portugal. Boletín Instituto Español de Oceanografía 19 (1-4): 199-204.
Cattaneo-Vietti, R., and G. Barletta. 1984. Elenco preliminare dei molluschi opistobranchi viventi nel Mediterraneo (Sacoglossa, Pleurobranchomorpha, Acochlidiacea, Aplysiomorpha, Nudibranchia). Bollettino Malacologico (Pubblicazione Mensile Edita dalla Societa Italiana di Malacologia) 20(9-12):195-218.
Cattaneo-Vietti, R., and T. E. Thompson. 1989. Mediterranean opisthobranch molluscs: a zoogeographic approach. Bollettino Malacologico (Pubblicazione Mensile Edita dalla Societa Italiana di Malacologia) 25(5-8):183-204.
Cattaneo-Vietti, R., R. Chemello, and R. Giannuzzi-Savelli. 1990. Atlas of Mediterranean Nudibranchs. La Conchiglia, Rome, Italy.
Cervera, J. L., J. Templado, J. C. García-Gómez, M. Ballesteros, J. Ortea, F. J. García, J. Ros, and A. A. Luque. 1988. Catálogo actualizado y comentado de los Opistobranquios (Mollusca, Gastropoda) de la Península Ibérica, Baleares y Canarias, con algunas referencias a Ceuta y la isla de Alborán. Iberus, supl. 1: 1-84.
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.
Domènech, A., C. Ávila, and M. Ballesteros. 2006. Opisthobranch molluscs from the subtidal trawling grounds off Blanes (Girona, north-east Spain). Journal of the Marine Biological Association of U.K. 86: 383–389.
Eliot, C. N. E. 1910. A monograph of the British nudibranchiate Mollusca: with figures of the species; Figures by the late Joshua Alder and the late Albany Hancock, and others. Ray Society, London.
Flanders Marine Institute. 2018. Maritime Boundaries Geodatabase: Territorial Seas. Maritime Boundaries Geodatabase. (http://www.marineregions.org/).
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.
García-Gómez, J. C. 1987. Adiciones a la fauna de Opistobranquios del Estrecho de Gibraltar (sur de España), I. Iberus 7 (2): 197-209.
García-Gómez, J. C. 2002. Paradigmas de una fauna insólita; Los moluscos opistobranquios del estrecho de Gibraltar (Serie Ciencias) 20: 397 pp. Instituto de Estudios Gibraltareños. Algeciras, Cádiz, Spain.
Gavaia, C., M. A. E. Malaquias, G. Calado, and V. Urgorri. 2003. New records of Portuguese opisthobranch molluscs. Journal of Conchology 38 (2): 101-118.
Hunnam, P., and G. Brown. 1975. Sublittoral nudibranch Mollusca (sea slugs) in Pembrokeshire waters. Field Studies 4(2):131-159.
Iredale, T., and C. H. O’Donoghue. 1923. List of british nudibranchiate mollusca. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London (1923) 2: 195-233 [luglio].
Just, H., and M. Edmuns. 1985. North atlantic nudibranchs (Mollusca) seen by Henning Lemche. Ophelia supplement 2: 1-150.
Long, S. J. 2006. Bibliography of Opisthobranchia 1554-2000. Bayside Books & Press, Tustin, CA, U.S.A. 672p.
Malaquias, M., G. Calado, V. Padula, G. Villani, and J. L. Cervera. 2009. Molluscan diversity in the North Atlantic Ocean: new records of opisthobranch gastropods from the Archipelago of the Azores. Marine Biodiversity. 2: e38.
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.
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).
Ortea, J., and J. J. Bacallado. 1981. Les Dorididae (Gastropoda) décris des Canaries par Alcide d’Orbigny. Bulletin du Museum d’Histoire Naturelle (Paris) 4e sèr., sect. A, 3: 767-776.
Parera, A., M. Pontes, X. Salvador, and M. Ballesteros. 2020. Sea slugs (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Heterobranchia): the other inhabitants of the city of Barcelona (Spain). Butlletí de la Institució Catalana d’Història Natural, 84: 75-100.
Picton, B. E., and C. Morrow. 1994. Doris sticta accessed through: Nudibranchs of the British Isles on 2014-12-14. (http://www.habitas.org.uk/marinelife/species.asp?item=W13970#).
Picton, B. E., and C. Morrow. 1994. A Field guide to the Nudibranchs of the British Isles. Immel Publishing Ltd. London: 143 pp., London.
Rudman W.B. et al. 1998. Doris sticta accessed through: Sea Slug Forum on 2014-12-14. (http://seaslugforum.net/showall/doristic).
Sabelli, B., R. Gianuzzi-Savelli, and D. Bedulli. 1990. Catalogo annotato dei Molluschi marini del Mediterraneo. Libreria Naturalistica Bolognese. Bologna, Italy: 348 pp.
Templado, J., and R. Villanueva. 2010. Checklist of Phylum Mollusca. pp. 148-198 In Coll, M., et al., 2010. The biodiversity of the Mediterranean Sea: estimates, patterns, and threats. PLoS ONE 5(8):36pp.
Thompson, T. E. 1988. Molluscs: benthic opisthobranchs (Mollusca: Gastropoda) keys and notes for the identification of the species., 2nd ed, Synopses of the British fauna,. E. J. Brill/Dr. W. Backhuys. Avon, Great Britain: 356 pp.
Thompson, T. E., and G. H. Brown. 1976. British opisthobranch molluscs Mollusca: Gastropoda; keys and notes for the identification of the species, Synopses of the British fauna. Acad. Pr., London.
Thompson, T. E., and G. H. Brown. 1984. Biology of Opisthobranch Molluscs. Vol. 2. Ray Society, London 156, pp. 229:
Trainito, E., and M. Doneddu. 2014. Nudibranchi del Mediterraneo, 2nd. ed. Il Castello.
Turk, T. 2000. The Opistobranch mollusks (Cephalaspidea, Saccoglossa, Notaspidea, Anaspidea and Nudibranchia) of the Adriatic Sea with special reference to Slovenian coast. Annales, Series Historia Naturalis, 10, 161-172.
Turk, S. M., and D. R. Seaward. 1997. The marine fauna and flora of the Isles of Scilly - Mollusca. Journal of Natural History 31(4):555-633.
Tyler-Walters, H., and K. Hiscock. 2005. Impact of human activities on benthic biotopes and species. Report to Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from the Marine Life Information Network (MarLIN). Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the UK. [Contract no. CDEP 84/5/244], 163 pp.
Valdés, Á. 2002. A phylogenetic analysis and systematic revision of the cryptobranch dorids (Mollusca, Nudibranchia, Anthobranchia). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 136: 535-636.
Valdés, Á., and S. J. Fahey. 2006. Dorid nudibranchs described by J.E. Gray in M.E. Gray, 1842-1857 (Mollusca Opisthobranchia). Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement 69: 95-102.
Valdés, A., and V. Heros. 1998. The types of Recent and certain fossil opisthobranch molluscs in the Museum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris. Zoosystema 20(4):695-742.
WoRMS Editorial Board. 2021. World Register of Marine Species. WoRMS. (http://www.marinespecies.org).
Further reading
Cite this article as:
Ballesteros, M., Madrenas, E. & Pontes, M. (2022) "Doris sticta" in OPK-Opistobranquis. Published: 13/08/2014. Accessed: 22/05/2022. Available at (https://opistobranquis.info/en/nOfPr)
