Doris verrucosa

Doris verrucosa
The warty dorid on a group of sponges, head end to the bottom of the image
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Order:	Nudibranchia
Family:	Dorididae
Genus:	Doris
Species:	D. verrucosa
Binomial name
Doris verrucosa Linnaeus, 1758[1]
Synonyms[2]
Archidoris granosa Bergh, 1907 Doridigitata verrucosa (Linnaeus, 1758) Doris biscayensis P. Fischer, 1872 Doris derelicta P. Fischer, 1867 Staurodoris bobretzkii Gadzikiewicz, 1907 Staurodoris verrucosa (Linnaeus, 1758) Staurodoris verrucosa var. mollis Eliot, 1906

Doris verrucosa is a species of sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Dorididae.^[2]

Taxonomic history

The initial description by Linnaeus was based on older descriptions by Rumphius and was possibly not the species called by this name by subsequent taxonomists. In order to stabilise the nomenclature the name Doris verrucosa was conserved by the creation of a neotype.^[3]

Description

Doris verrucosa is a yellow-brown oval nudibranch with a distinctive warty skin. It has eight gills arranged around the anus and its rhinophores are perfoliate. South African animals may reach a total length of 30 mm.^[4] The maximum recorded length is 70 mm.^[5]

Distribution

This species occurs in the Mediterranean Sea and in the Atlantic Ocean off France, Spain, the United Kingdom and Ireland.^[6] It has been reported from South Africa, where it is commonly known as the Warty dorid, but this may prove to be a separate, closely related species.^[4] Records of this species from the coast of Brazil have been demonstrated to be a separate species Doris januarii.^[7]

Ecology

In South Africa the warty dorid feeds on the crumb-of-bread sponge, Hymeniacidon cf. perlevis, which it closely resembles in colour. Its egg mass is a tall upright collar of several complete whorls. It has been recorded from the intertidal zone to 14 m depth.^[8]

References

1. Linnaeus, C. (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Editio decima, reformata. Laurentius Salvius: Holmiae. ii, 824 pp, page(s): 653
2. Gofas, S. (2004). Doris verrucosa Linnaeus, 1758. In: MolluscaBase (2016). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2016-12-03.
3. ICZN, Opinion 1980 (case 3088), (2001) Doris verrucosa Linnaeus, 1758 (Mollusca, Gastropoda): Generic and Specific Names Conserved by the Designation of a Neotype Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 58(3) September 2001.
4. Zsilavecz, G. (2007). Nudibranchs of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay. ISBN 0-620-38054-3
5. Welch J. J. (2010). "The "Island Rule" and Deep-Sea Gastropods: Re-Examining the Evidence". PLoS ONE 5(1): e8776. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0008776.
6. Rudman, W.B., 1999 (October 19) Doris verrucosa Linnaeus, 1758. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.
7. Lima P.O.V. & Simone L.R.L. (2015). Anatomical review of Doris verrucosa and redescription of Doris januarii (Gastropoda, Nudibranchia) based on comparative morphology. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. DOI: 10.1017/S0025315415000296I.
8. Gosliner, T.M. (1987). Nudibranchs of Southern Africa ISBN 0-930118-13-8