Merry
Contributor
This is for Dr. Bill who once asked about how to distinguish these two dorid nudibranchs.
Phil, Kevin, and I are having fun reaping the bounty of subjects on our new favorite dive site, Kevin's Reef. Here's an example of why we shouldn't assume anything with respect to identifying sea slugs. You never know what you might find.
Kevin's Reef on 9/18 - Phil found this large nudi, and we all assumed it was Peltodoris mullineri. Wrong. This is Jorunna pardus.
Kevin's Reef on 10/9 - Although this one looked a little different, I casually assumed that it was a variation of Peltodoris mullineri. Wrong again! This is also Jorunna pardus.
One difference between the two species is that Peltodoris mullineri has solid yellow to orange rhinophores and gills.
This is the REAL Peltodoris mullineri.
Peltodoris mullineri
To confound things further, here's Phil's photo of a true Peltodoris mullineri on Kevin's Reef, clearly demonstrating the presence of both species.
Phil, Kevin, and I are having fun reaping the bounty of subjects on our new favorite dive site, Kevin's Reef. Here's an example of why we shouldn't assume anything with respect to identifying sea slugs. You never know what you might find.
Kevin's Reef on 9/18 - Phil found this large nudi, and we all assumed it was Peltodoris mullineri. Wrong. This is Jorunna pardus.
Kevin's Reef on 10/9 - Although this one looked a little different, I casually assumed that it was a variation of Peltodoris mullineri. Wrong again! This is also Jorunna pardus.
One difference between the two species is that Peltodoris mullineri has solid yellow to orange rhinophores and gills.
This is the REAL Peltodoris mullineri.
Peltodoris mullineri
To confound things further, here's Phil's photo of a true Peltodoris mullineri on Kevin's Reef, clearly demonstrating the presence of both species.
