Dermatobranchus ornatus (Bergh, 1874)
- Location
- Enoura Beach, Enoura, Kanagawa, Japan
- Date
- 2005/06/28
- Length
- 60mm
- Depth
- 22.0m
- Water temperature
- 16.0℃
Description
In life the body is about 3.5 cm long and slightly flattened, with a ground colour of grey to greenish-grey, darker on the warty back and lighter on the flanks. Black dots are scattered on the nape, toward the dorsal margins and on the upper surface of the foot. The rhinophore club is black with longitudinal white folds. The margins of the tentacular shield, the dorsal margin and the foot are a strong red — the main external diagnostic character. The tentacular shield is wider than long, with the hind edge projecting strongly and the outer corners notably extended.Distribution
Type locality: Pandanon, Philippines. Now widely distributed across the Indo-West Pacific, with records from Oman, Australia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Japan.Etymology
The specific epithet ornata is the feminine of Latin ornatus, meaning "adorned, decorated", in reference to the bright red edging of the tentacular shield, dorsal margin and foot and the densely set tubercles on a greenish-grey ground.Remarks
Originally placed in Pleuroleura, which was later treated as a synonym of Dermatobranchus; the species was accordingly transferred. The Japanese vernacular name "Hana-otome-umiushi" ("flower-maiden sea slug") refers to the bright orange-red ornamentation.References
- Pleuroleura ornata Bgh. n. sp., Bergh R. (1874). Malacologische Untersuchungen. In: Semper C. (ed.), Reisen im Archipel der Philippinen. II. Wissenschaftliche Resultate. Bd. II, Heft VI: 247-285, Taf. XXX-XXXV. Wiesbaden: C.W. Kreidel's Verlag.
- ハナオトメウミウシ（新稱）, 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.
- Hana-otomeumiushi, Baba, K. 1976. Two new species and five common or rare species of the genus Dermatobranchus from Japan (Nudibranchia: Arminoidea: Arminidae). Veliger 19(1):4-12.
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 Dermatobranchus ornatus
Tag:
Same Genus Nudibranchs
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Dermatobranchus spp.
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Similar Colors Nudibranchs
Academic Database
Sea slug observation data is available in international marine biodiversity databases.