Ceratodoris kondoi (Hamatani, 2001)

Location: Blue Coral, Cebu, Philippines
Date: 2012/10/17
Length: ??mm
Depth: ??m
Water temperature: 29.5℃

Description

The body is elongate and narrow, lacking a distinct notal border. Body color is uniformly red except for the gill rachises and the bases of the notal papillae, which are pinkish white. There are four pairs of elongate notal papillae along the body sides; the two anteriormost are thinner and more elongate than the more lateral pairs. A single medial papilla is present anterior to the gill. The gill consists of 3–5 unipinnate branches. The rhinophores are elongate with 10–20 congested lamellae. The anterior end of the foot expands into two rounded lobes united as a small hood surrounding the mouth. Radular formula 25 × 1.1.0.1.1. Living animals reach 20 mm; preserved specimens 3–13 mm.

Distribution

Originally described from Kuroshima Island, Japan. Also recorded from Bohol and Cebu Islands (Philippines) and from Enewetak and Kwajalein Atolls (Marshall Islands).

Etymology

Honors the Japanese surname "Kondo" as designated in the original description.

Remarks

Found on outer reef faces at 10–30 m depth, often together with Ceratodoris nakamotoensis, where it feeds on the bright red bryozoan Tropidozoum cellariforme. The original genus Sakishimaia was later shown to be nested within Hopkinsia, which in turn is nested within Okenia; both Sakishimaia and Hopkinsia were treated as synonyms of Okenia. The subsequent transfer to Ceratodoris follows post-2004 phylogenetic work.