| Chromodoris joshi Photo courtesy of Webmaster Batangas, Philippines |
Chromodoris joshi Gosliner & Behrens, 1998
Chromodoris joshi is the third new Indo-Pacific species of Chromodoris described by Gosliner & Behrens (1998). For years referred to as Chromodoris "Halloween" because of its black and yellow Halloween color theme, this species formal scientific name is in recognition of Terry's son, Joshua Todd Gosliner. In the paper Terry bequeaths the name to his chipper son, explaining that over the years Josh had to put up with several missed birthdays while his father was off conducting field work in the Philippines. This year dad was home and presented Josh with the announcement and a copy of the paper, with his birthday cake and candles.
Chromodoris joshi, is a member of Bill Rudman's Chromodoris quadracolor complex. With its prominent three black mantle stripes, it is most similar to C. africana, C. magnifica, and C. kuiteri. It stands out as distinctive however, lacking the orange marginal mantle band, and has yellow rather than the white color of the other species. The marginal band fades from a darker golden yellow at the edge, to a buttery yellow, and is sprinkled with white flecks. The gills and rhinophores are pumpkin orange (ie: the Halloween connection). As if this distinctive coloration is not enough to identify this new species with little effort, the internal anatomy also distinguishes it, with differences in buccal and reproductive system anatomy.
Reaching 60mm in length, C. joshi has been documented from Sumatra, Indonesia (photo by Jim Black, see Debelius, page 213, top); the Andaman Sea, Thailand (photos by Mark Strickland) and the Philippine Islands of Luzon, Caban and Maricaban (Gosliner & Behrens, 1998).
C. joshi, like Josh, stands out amongst it's peers. A noteworthy pair.
Both are to be proud of.
Taxonomic information courtesy of:
David W. Behrens
Author:
Pacific Coast Nudibranchs
Send Dave mail at seachalleng@earthlink.net
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