Baptodoris mimetica Gosliner, 1991

What is the mimic dorid?

The mimic dorid (Baptodoris mimetica) is a yellow, white-spotted dorid nudibranch of the northeastern Pacific coast of North America that closely resembles another sympatric dorid.

Description

A dorid with a yellow to orange body scattered with small white spots and covered with fine tubercles. It strikingly resembles the co-occurring dorid Doriopsilla albopunctata, which it is thought to mimic.

Distribution

Northeastern Pacific along the west coast of North America, from California, USA, south to Baja California, Mexico. The species was originally described from Pacific Grove (Asilomar), California.

Etymology

The specific epithet mimetica means “mimicking,” after its close resemblance to the sympatric dorid Doriopsilla albopunctata.

Remarks

A sponge feeder. In English it is known as the mimic dorid.

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References

• Baptodoris mimetica sp. nov., Gosliner T.M. (1991). Four new species and a new genus of opisthobranch gastropods from the Pacific coast of North America. The Veliger. 34(3): 272-290.
• Baptodoris mimetica, Behrens D.W., Hermosillo A., Fletcher K. & Jensen G.C. (2022). Nudibranchs & Sea Slugs of the Eastern Pacific. Molamarine.