Dendronotus nanus Ev. Marcus & Er. Marcus, 1967

Location: Lifeguard Tower, San Diego, California, United States
Date: 2020/07/06
Length: ??mm
Depth: ??m
Water temperature: ??℃

Description

A small dendronotid nudibranch; the type specimens measured only 10–13 mm. The body is translucent grey, scattered with opaque white spots and edged along the foot with an opaque white border. Along each side of the back are about six pairs of dorsal appendages arranged like an arch of cerata; unlike most species of Dendronotus, they lack a common basal stalk and stand as separate processes. Three rows of small papillae surround the head, each bearing tiny black secondary papillae. The dorsal appendages and the papillae on the rhinophores are translucent grey with a white tip, a median black band, and a lower band of bright orange.

Distribution

The type locality is the Gulf of California, Mexico. It has since been recorded northward along the northeastern Pacific coast of North America as far as San Diego, California.

Etymology

The specific epithet nanus is Latin for "dwarf". The specimens used in the original description were only 10–13 mm long.

Remarks

Because it was described from small specimens, D. nanus has at times been treated as a junior synonym of the larger, similarly coloured Dendronotus iris, but it is currently regarded as a valid species.