Geitodoris portmanni

Geitodoris portmanni  (Schmekel, 1972)

• Carryodoris portmanni Schmekel, 1972

Description
This is a doridacean with a very flattened body and a leathery and spongy texture, reaching 15-20 mm in length. Its color ranges from bright yellowish, dull yellow or even slightly reddish, the middle of the dorsum could be somewhat darker because of the internal viscera. On the dorsum there can be small whitish scores on the tips of some tubercles. There may also be small brown spots at the glandular openings. The mantle is wide and there are numerous, well spaced, small conical tubercles with rounded apex on the dorsum. The spongy texture of the back of the animal is because of a fine grid of light-colored spicules that seem to converge in tubercles in a starry way; binocular microscope allows to see that the stellate reticulum also invades the tubers, converging towards their apexes. The rhinophores base color is pale, the base is yellowish and the laminar portion (with 14-15 lamellae) scattered with brown grains, their apex is mace-shaped and white. The rhinophores are spiculous. The rhinophoric sheath is high and its upper edge has about 11-15 somewhat irregular whitish tubercles that fold together when the rhinophores are fully retracted, closing the sheath orifice. The gill consists of about 6 yellowish tripinnate leaves with brown spots on the central rachis. Gill sheath is rather high and its upper edge is scalloped. The gill leaves head backwards when extended. The foot is yellow and without spots while the sides of the body have very thin brown markings. The foot is lined and cleft on the anterior side and the oral tentacles are well developed.

Biology
Very little is known of this rare species of nudibranch, it is commonly found below stones from a few meters of water down to 40 m (Schmekel & Portmann, 1982). It has also been reported on the Bryopsis algae at 27 m deep (Marin & ros, 1987).

Etymology

• Geitodoris. From Greek “geitonos”, neighbor (meaning close or similar) + “Doris”, in Greek mythology, the wife of Nereus, a sea nymph and mother of the Nereids.
• Portmanni. Dedicated to the Swiss zoologist Prof. Adolf Portmann, (1897-1982), who worked on Mediterranean nudibranchs, coauthor of the book “Opisthobranchia des Mittelmeeres”.

Distribution
There are very few known reports of this rare species. Originally described by Marechiaro in the Gulf of Naples, it has only been found in the Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula (Cervera et al. 2004). In Catalonia it has been observed in a few locations of the Costa Brava: L’Estartit, L’Escala, El Port de la Selva or Cadaqués. A report from Grau du Roi, France, on May 2025 by Xavier Rufray, posted at NE Atlantic Nudibranchs (Facebook) forum, would be the first observation for the French coast.

Known georeferenced records of the species: Geitodoris portmanni

Sources:
OBIS GROC 2010-2011 Enric Madrenas João Pedro Silva Bernard Picton GBIF	OPK VIMAR Manuel Ballesteros M@re Nostrum Altres fonts Marine Regions

More pictures

Geitodoris portmanni @ Cala Taballera 25/10/2014 by Miquel Pontes

Geitodoris portmanni by Enric Madrenas

Geitodoris portmanni by Enric Madrenas

Geitodoris portmanni by Enric Madrenas

Geitodoris portmanni

Geitodoris portmanni by Enric Madrenas

Geitodoris portmanni by Enric Madrenas

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

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