Diaphorodoris papillata
Red papillae dorid
Israel · Mediterranean
- Size
- 10 mm
- Native range
- Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula, east to Israel.
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Description
A tiny calycidorid dorid of the Mediterranean and nearby Atlantic, including the Israeli coast. It is easily overlooked on algae-covered rock walls.
Share link: https://seaslugs.org.il/species/diaphorodoris-papillata-israel-mediterranean/
Identification
White body covered with thin, long, finger-like deep red papillae, sometimes forked at the tip. Rhinophores white with 12–14 lamellae; gill of five semi-transparent white leaves.
Similar species
Diaphorodoris luteocincta is also white but has a yellow mantle border and lacks the long red papillae.
Habitat & diet
Habitat
Dimly lit rock walls rich in algae and sessile invertebrates, Posidonia meadows and under stones; shallow, recorded at 3 m.
Food
Bryozoans, especially Smittoidea reticulata.