Dermatobranchus primus Baba, 1976
Description
A tiny arminid, body length about 10 mm. The dorsum bears extremely fine longitudinal ridges, up to 30 in number. The mantle is pale yellowish-white with ocellated spots arranged on the longitudinal ridges. The diagnostic feature is the absence of the crescentic black band seen in Dermatobranchus striatus. The rhinophore clavi are black; the head veil, body sides and sole are uniformly yellowish-white without markings.Distribution
Type locality: Kamekisho, Sagami Bay, 10-12 m depth.Etymology
The specific epithet primus is Latin for "first". The Japanese vernacular name "Kameki-otome-umiushi" refers to the type locality, Kamekisho reef.Remarks
The completely smooth lateral teeth most closely resemble those of Dermatobranchus walteri from Spitzbergen, but D. walteri bears pustules in irregular rows on the dorsum, while D. primus lacks them.References
A Kindle field guide by the site author
Kimoto N. (2026). Sea Slugs of Japan & the Indo-Pacific, 2nd Edition.
Kindle Edition
View on Amazon PR (Amazon Associates)Seasonality
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Tag:
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Academic Database
Sea slug observation data is available in international marine biodiversity databases.