Dendronotus venustus MacFarland, 1966

Description

A dendronotid with a slender, broad body. The dorsum bears 4-8 pairs of arborescent (branched) cerata, and the oral veil carries 2-5 papillae. Body colour is highly variable — white, brown, red and many intermediates — making this one of the most identification-challenging species of Dendronotus in the North Pacific.

Distribution

North-east Pacific. Type locality: Monterey Bay, California.

Etymology

The specific epithet venustus is Latin for "graceful, beautiful".

Remarks

For many years considered a synonym of the Atlantic Dendronotus frondosus, the species has been confirmed as distinct by molecular phylogenetic analyses (Stout, Pola & Valdés, 2010) and resurrected as a valid species. It is the most commonly observed Dendronotus in the North Pacific. Like its congeners, it feeds on hydroids.

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References

• Dendronotus venustus MacFarland, 1966, Ekimova I., Korshunova T., Schepetov D., Neretina T., Sanamyan N. & Martynov A. (2015). Integrative systematics of northern and Arctic nudibranchs of the genus Dendronotus (Mollusca, Gastropoda), with descriptions of three new species. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 173(4): 841-886.
• ニシスギノハウミウシ（新称）, スーザン・ミドルトン他. (2015). 海の美しい無脊椎動物. 創元社.