Warty dorid

For the southern African warty dorid, see Doris granosa.

Warty dorid Doris verrucosa
The warty dorid on a group of sponges, head end to the bottom of the image
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
(unranked):	clade Heterobranchia clade Euthyneura clade Nudipleura clade Nudibranchia clade Euctenidiacea clade Doridacea
Superfamily:	Doridoidea
Family:	Dorididae
Genus:	Doris
Species:	D. verrucosa
Binomial name
Doris verrucosa Linnaeus, 1758

The warty dorid, scientific name Doris verrucosa, is a species of dorid nudibranch. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Dorididae.

Distribution

This species is found in the Indian and Atlantic oceans from the high intertidal to 14 m.^[1]

Description

The warty dorid is a yellow-brown oval nudibranch with a distinctive warty skin. It has eight gills arranged around the anus and its rhinophores are perfoliate. It may reach a total length of 30 mm.^[2]

The maximum recorded length is 70 mm.^[3]

Ecology

Minimum recorded depth is 0 m.^[3] Maximum recorded depth is 12 m.^[3]

The warty dorid feeds on the crumb-of-bread sponge, Hymeniacedon perlevis, which it closely resembles in colour. Its egg mass is a tall upright collar of several complete whorls.

References

1. ^ GOSLINER, T.M. 1987. Nudibranchs of Southern Africa ISBN 0-930118-13-8
2. ^ ZSILAVECZ, G. 2007. Nudibranchs of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay. ISBN 0-620-38054-3
3. ^ ^{a b c} 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.