Dendrodoris nigra
Black doris
Philippines · Indo Pacific - South China Sea
- Size
- max 80 mm
- Native range
- Indo-West and central Pacific, from South Africa and Madagascar to Japan and Hawaii.
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Description
A common, smooth-bodied dendrodorid nudibranch with very variable colouring. Like other Dendrodoris, it has no radula and feeds on sponges by sucking them up with its oral glands.
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Identification
Ground colour from jet black to translucent reddish brown or yellowish white, usually with small white spots, and in some morphs a reddish-brown or orange mantle margin. Rhinophores black with white tips; gill of 5–7 simple plumes in a circle on the rear of the back.
Similar species
Dendrodoris fumata is similar in shape but usually lighter and lacks white-tipped rhinophores; D. nigromaculata and D. tuberculosa differ in colour pattern and texture.
Habitat & diet
Habitat
Shallow to moderately deep coral and rocky reefs.
Food
Sponges, sucked up without a radula (as in other Dendrodoris).