Dendrodoris nigra (W. Stimpson, 1855)
- Location
- Apogama, Okinawa Island (Onna and Yomitan area), Okinawa, Japan
- Date
- 2015/06/04
- Length
- 12mm
- Depth
- 1.0m
- Water temperature
- 26.0℃
Description
A large dendrodorid reaching about 80 mm in body length. Ground colour ranges among individuals from black through translucent reddish-brown to translucent yellowish-white — the dark forms inspiring the specific epithet nigra ("black"). A reddish-brown marginal mantle band occurs in some morphs.The dorsum is scattered with small white spots, especially conspicuous in dark forms. The rhinophores are black with white tips. The gill, also black, consists of 5-7 simply pinnate plumes arranged in a circle on the posterior dorsum.
Distribution
Widely distributed across the Indian, western, and central Pacific Oceans. Records come from South Africa, Madagascar, Tanzania, the Comoros, Réunion, the Red Sea, Christmas Island, Australia, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vanuatu, Japan, Palau, Guam, Samoa, the Marshall Islands, Hawaii and Palmyra Atoll. The species inhabits shallow to moderately deep coral and rocky reefs.Etymology
The specific epithet nigra is the feminine of Latin niger ("black"), in reference to the typical dark form.Remarks
Originally described in 1855 by Stimpson from material collected in Micronesia. Members of Dendrodoris are unusual dendrodorids that lack a radula and feed on sponges by suction.References
- Dendrodoris nigra (Stimpson), Allan J.K. (1947). Nudibranchia from the Clarence River Heads, north coast, New South Wales. Records of the Australian Museum, 21(8): 433-463, pls. xli-xliii and map. https://doi.org/10.3853/j.0067-1975.21.1947.561
- クロシタナシウミウシ, Baba K. (1949). Opisthobranchia of Sagami Bay collected by His Majesty the Emperor of Japan (相模湾産後鰓類図譜). Iwanami Shoten, Tokyo. 4+2+194+7 pp., pls. 1-50.
- Dendrodoris nigra (compared), Millen S.V. & Bertsch H. (2005). Two New Species of Porostome Nudibranchs (Family Dendrodorididae) from the Coasts of California (USA) and Baja California (Mexico). Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, Series 4. 56(18): 189-199.
A Kindle field guide by the site author
Kimoto N. (2026). Sea Slugs of Japan & the Indo-Pacific, 2nd Edition.
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Photos of Dendrodoris nigra
Tag:
Same Genus Nudibranchs
Similar Colors Nudibranchs
Academic Database
Sea slug observation data is available in international marine biodiversity databases.