OKINAWAN
OPISTHOBRANCH OF THE WEEK
Dermatobranchus gonatophora (Hasselt, 1824) 72mm
Opisthobranch of the Week Data
Taxonomy:
- Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
- Suborder: Arminina
- Family: Arminidae
Frequency on Okinawa:
Collection Data:
- Individual Collection No: RFB #3375-C
- Location: Seragaki (26o 30.4'N, 127o 52.6'E)
- Date: 14 March, 1995 [25 May '87, 20 Jun '87, 14 Mar '95]
- Depth: 190ft (58m) [100ft, 160ft, 190ft]
- Water temperature at collection depth: 66.6oF (19.2oC)
- Size: TL 72mm [56mm, 65mm, 72mm]
- Specimen deposited: California Academy of Sciences.
[brackets indicate range for all Okinawa-collected specimens of the species]
Species Account:
Dermatobranchus gonatophora is considered to be rare on Okinawa as I have collected a total of only three individuals. The above illustrated specimen was found crawling on the surface of a large expanse of open sand interspersed with infrequent pockets of coral rubble. An additional uncollected individual was photographed while feeding on the soft coral Eleutherobia grayi (here are several images of E. grayi with expanded polyps) at Horseshoe Cliffs (from 37m) on 8 April, 1987. Incidentally, there is a Dave Mulliner photo of this same uncollected individual, seen feeding on the identical coral, on p. 174 in Coral Reef Animals of the Indo-Pacific, Gosliner, Behrens, & Williams (1996). [Dave and I photographed the same animal while he was visiting Okinawa]
Literature Cited:
- Gosliner, T.M., D.W. Behrens, & G.C. Williams. 1996. Coral Reef Animals of the
Indo-Pacific. Sea Challengers, Monterey, California.
Page Date: 13 Jan '97
Page Modification Date: 14 Aug '00
Digitally manipulated photo
Copyright © 2000 Robert F. Bolland
