Doriopsilla gemela

Doriopsilla gemela
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
(unranked):	clade Heterobranchia; clade Euthyneura; clade Nudipleura; clade Nudibranchia; clade Euctenidiacea; clade Doridacea
Superfamily:	Phyllidioidea
Family:	Dendrodorididae
Genus:	Doriopsilla
Species:	D. gemela
Binomial name
	Doriopsilla gemela; Gosliner, Schaefer & Millen, 1999[1]

Doriopsilla gemela is a species of dorid nudibranch, a colourful sea slug, a shell-less marine gastropod mollusk in the family Dendrodorididae.[2]

There are five other species that are quite similar to this species and can be confused with it, and they are: Doriopsilla albopunctata (Cooper, 1863), Doriopsilla bertschi Hoover, Lindsay, Goddard & Valdés, 2015, Doriopsilla davebehrensi Hoover, Lindsay, Goddard & Valdés, 2015, Doriopsilla fulva (MacFarland, 1905) and Baptodoris mimetica Gosliner, 1991.[3]

Distribution

This species was described from the intertidal zone, Hill Street, San Diego, California.[3]

Description

This nudibranch can grow as large as 25 mm. It can be dark yellow to orange in colour, but always with very small opaque white dots. Larger dots are found on the tubercles, with numerous small white dots scattered between the tubercles.[3] The rhinophores are orange-yellow in colour with 9 lamellae on the club. The gills are dark yellow to orange.[3][4]

Life habits

Doriopsilla gemela eats a sponge.

References

Gosliner, T. M., Schaefer, M. C. & Millen, S. V. (1999). A new species of Doriopsilla (Nudibranchia: Dendrodorididae) from the Pacific coast of North America, including a comparison with Doriopsilla albopunctata (Cooper, 1863). The Veliger, 42, 201–210.
Bouchet, P. (2015). Doriopsilla gemela Gosliner, Schaefer & Millen, 1999. In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2016-12-14.
Hoover C., Lindsay T., Goddard J.H.R. & Valdés A. (2015). Seeing double: pseudocryptic diversity in the Doriopsilla albopunctata–Doriopsilla gemela species complex of the north-eastern Pacific. Zoologica Scripta. 44: 612-631.
Rudman, W.B., 2003 (July 29) Doriopsilla gemela Gosliner, Schaefer & Millen, 1999. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.

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[1] Gosliner, T. M., Schaefer, M. C. & Millen, S. V. (1999). A new species of Doriopsilla (Nudibranchia: Dendrodorididae) from the Pacific coast of North America, including a comparison with Doriopsilla albopunctata (Cooper, 1863). The Veliger, 42, 201–210.

[2] Bouchet, P. (2015). Doriopsilla gemela Gosliner, Schaefer & Millen, 1999. In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2016-12-14.

[HLGV2015-3] Hoover C., Lindsay T., Goddard J.H.R. & Valdés A. (2015). Seeing double: pseudocryptic diversity in the Doriopsilla albopunctata–Doriopsilla gemela species complex of the north-eastern Pacific. Zoologica Scripta. 44: 612-631.

[4] Rudman, W.B., 2003 (July 29) Doriopsilla gemela Gosliner, Schaefer & Millen, 1999. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.