Dermatobranchus tuberculatus Gosliner & Fahey, 2011

Location: Makawidey 2, Lembeh, Sulawesi, Indonesia
Date: 2018/01/25
Length: 5mm
Depth: 15.0m
Water temperature: 28.0℃

Description

Body 5–12 mm long, elongate, triangular, flattened, with a rounded posterior end. The foot projects only slightly beyond the distinct mantle margin, or may be entirely covered by the notum. The notum is rough and tuberculate, with randomly distributed rounded tubercles, and lacks distinct longitudinal ridges. The oral veil extends forward with rounded corners. Widely spaced, club-shaped rhinophores sit behind the oral veil with longitudinal lamellae on the rounded club and a short apex; the stalk does not narrow noticeably.
Ground colour of the notum, oral veil and foot is pale white to tan or purple. The tubercles are generally light brown with darker brown speckling. A light brown triangular mark may be present mid-dorsally on the anterior half of the notum. The oral veil is white with a few dark brown specks and a pink to purple margin. Rhinophores are light brown with darker brown pigment just below the white apex.

Distribution

Papua New Guinea, eastern Malaysia and the Philippines. Type locality: Ligpo Island, Batangas Province, Luzon Island, Philippine Islands, 28 m.

Etymology

Verbatim from the original description (Gosliner & Fahey, 2011, p.341):

The specific name tuberculatus refers to the presence of rounded tubercles on the dorsal surface of the notum that characterize this species. It is a noun in apposition

Remarks

Externally and internally most similar to D. pustulosus Hasselt, 1824, but distinguished by the rounded tubercles forming neither distinct nodules nor longitudinal ridges.