Dermatobranchus cf. striatus van Hasselt, 1824

Mehrotra, Rahul, A. Caballer Gutierrez, Manuel, M. Scott, Chad, Arnold, Spencer, Monchanin, Coline, Viyakarn, Voranop & Chavanich, Suchana, 2021, An updated inventory of sea slugs from Koh Tao, Thailand, with notes on their ecology and a dramatic biodiversity increase for Thai waters, ZooKeys 1042, pp. 73-188 : 73

Dermatobranchus cf. striatus van Hasselt, 1824 Figure 19F

Material examined.

Two specimens 9-12 mm, SI; two specimens 11 mm, HPW; one specimen 14 mm, SW.

Ecology.

On rocks in coral reef habitats where it feeds on the octocoral Briareum stechei ( Kükenthal, 1908). Occasionally observed among colonies of B. stechei growing on artificial substrates (i.e., discarded fishing nets) in deeper soft sediment habitats. Depth 6-22 m.

Distribution.

Dermatobranchus striatus is known from Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Japan (see Gosliner and Fahey 2011).

Remarks.

This species was recorded as Dermatobranchus striatus van Hasselt, 1824 by Mehrotra and Scott (2016). Due to taxonomic uncertainty between this and similar species (see Gosliner and Fahey 2011), and with D. striatus being the type species for the genus, we refer to this species as D. cf. striatus .

Figures

Figure 19. A Armina scotti 41 mm B Dermatobranchus caeruleomaculatus 55 mm C Dermatobranchus dendronephthyphagus 40 mm D Dermatobranchus fortunatus 11 mm E Dermatobranchus semilunus 33 mm (photograph by Pau Urgell Plaza) F Dermatobranchus cf. striatus 14 mm G, H Dermatobranchus sp. 1 32 mm (G) and 28 mm (H) I, J Dermatobranchus sp. 2 27 mm K Bornella hermanni 12 mm L Bornella johnsonorum 35 mm.