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Goniobranchus annulatus

Akhziv Canyon · 2023 · Photo: Boaz Liebes

Goniobranchus annulatus (Eliot, 1904)

Ringed goniobranch

Israel · Mediterranean

Migrant species Observed: 2004–2026
Size
⁦40–60⁩ mm · max 100 mm
Depth
⁦1–40⁩ m
Native range
Western Indian Ocean, Persian Gulf and Red Sea

Description

The ringed chromodorid: a large, smooth, brightly coloured dorid that stores defensive compounds from its sponge prey in white glands around the mantle edge.

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Identification

Translucent white body with scattered orange to yellow spots and a purple mantle edge. A conspicuous purple ring around the base of the rhinophores and another around the gills.

Similar species

Goniobranchus obsoletus is smaller, with an orange edge and a blue-black inner band and no purple rings.

Habitat & diet

Habitat

Shallow rocky areas and rock walls among algae, ~1–40 m.

Food

Sponges, especially Chelonaplysilla.

In the Mediterranean

  1. 2004First recordSalamina, Saronic Gulf, Greece (12 m)
  2. 2026Latest documented recordLimassol, Rhodes, Antalya and Haifa
Status
Established, common in the Levant
Route of arrival
Lessepsian (Suez Canal)
Sources (3)

This species in other areas (1)

Goniobranchus annulatus