Dendrodoris grandiflora

Dendrodoris grandiflora (Rapp, 1827)

Dendrodoris grandiflora 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

Phyllidioidea  

 

Family

Dendrodorididae  

 

Genus

Dendrodoris  

 

Species

Dendrodoris grandiflora  (Rapp, 1827)

 
 Classification according to Bouchet et al. (2017)
Taxonomic source: World Register of Marine Species (AphiaID: 139516).
Synonyms

  • Dendrodoris kessneri Tejedo, 1994
  • Dendrodoris longula Pruvot-Fol, 1951 
  • Dendrodoris pseudorubra Pruvot-Fol, 1951 
  • Dendrodoris temarana Pruvot-Fol, 1953
  • Doris grandiflora Rapp, 1827 (original)
  • Doris guttata Risso, 1826

Description
This is a large species whose specimens can reach over 10 cm in length and are characterized by a very flat body with very wide, wavy margins with dark radial grooves all around the body. Body coloration is light gray or cream but almost always there are numerous irregular spots (both in shape and size) on the back, of different shades of green, brown or almost black. The underside of the mantle and the foot are light colored, without spots, but there may be spots of the same color as on the back on the sides of the foot. The mantle is soft and devoid of spicules. The rhinophores are retractable and have the same color as the rest of the body except the apex which is white; they are well developed and have a wide basal area without lamella and with a color somewhat lighter than the rest of rhinophore. The laminar zone of the rhinophores has very tight 20-30 lamellae and decreases in thickness towards the apex. The rhinophoric orifice is circular, with a smooth edge and lacks a high sheath. The buccal bulb of this species, as in other species of the genus, lacks both jaws and radula. The retractile gill consists of 6-8 well developed tripinnate branchial leaves, arranged in a circle around the anus, and of the same color of the body except the apex, which is whitish. Anal papilla is well formed, barrel-shaped and with a slightly lobed upper edge. The oral zone lacks palps.

Biology
This large species of doridacean is usually found under stones, from very shallow water down to 20-30 m. It has been cited (McDonald & Nybakken, 1997) on sponges (Crambe, Microciona, Ircinia fasciculata, Spongia officinalis) but it is not clear whether it really eats the sponge tissues or the microorganisms film growing on the sponges, as it feeds by suction using its oral bulb. The spawns are laid in the form of an 8mm wide, ivory coloured ribbon, wound into an spiral of several turns that can reach 5 cm of total diameter. There are usually 60-70 eggs across the width of the ribbon, arranged in two superposed layers. The eggs have a diameter of about 80 microns and are enclosed in somewhat larger capsules, of about 140 microns. The spawns can be found, also under stones.

Etymology

  • Dendrodoris, from Greek word dendros (tree) and Doris, a sea nymph in Greek mythology.
  • Grandiflora, in botany, any plant characterized by large showy flowers, as certain kinds of petunias or roses. Here it probably refers to the animal’s big gill resembling a big flower when extended.

Distribution
So far, this species seems to have a Mediterranean distribution which also includes the nearby Atlantic (Iberian Peninsula, Madeira Islands, coasts of the Sahara and Mauritania). In the Iberian Peninsula it has been collected in all its shores but in the Northern ones: the Cantabrian Sea and Galicia (Cervera et al., 2004). In the Mediterranean it has been cited both in the Eastern basin (Turkey, Israel) and the Western basin (Spain, France, Italy), also in the Balearic islands. In the Catalan coast is a fairly common species in different localities of the Costa Brava (Port de la Selva, Cadaqués, illes Formigues, Blanes), also in the coast of Barcelona, Llavaneres, also in the coast of Tarragona (Salou).

Known georeferenced records of the species: Dendrodoris grandiflora
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 Dendrodoris grandiflora based on our own records.

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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:

Ballesteros, M., Madrenas, E. & Pontes, M. (2023) "Dendrodoris grandiflora" in OPK-Opistobranquis. Published: 16/05/2012. Accessed: 29/03/2024. Available at (https://opistobranquis.info/en/?p=472)

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