Dendrodoris krebsii

Photo courtesy of Jeff Hamann

Dendrodoris krebsii (Morch, 1863)

Dendrodoris krebsii is one of the most variably colored nudibranchs in the world. This porostome, is found from the shores of the State of Georgia, throughout the Caribbean south to Brazil. It has the typical porostome elongate shape, with a ruffled mantle margin. The only consistent feature of this species is the white tip on the rhinophores and the white tips on the branchial plume.

The new guide book, Caribbean Sea Slugs shows nine color variants common to this species, from white , to red , brown mottled , grey and even white with black spots .

This species is often found under rocks and dead coral feeding on sponges. Because porostomes have no radula to rasp away sponge tissue, they spit a digestive enzyme onto the sponge and then slurp up the resulting sponge soup.

D. krebsii is similar in color to D. fumata, from the Pacific Coast of Mexico to the Galapagos, but the two species are distinct, when the internal anatomy is examined. See Eastern Pacific Nudibranchs for examples of its color variation.

Caribbean Sea Slugs A field guide to the opisthobranch mollusks from the tropical northwestern Atlantic 2006 . by Angel Valdes, Jeff Hamann, David Behrens & Anne DuPont First and only guide to the nudibranchs and sea slugs of the Caribbean and Southeast U.S. 310 species are illustrated with multiple color photos. Close-ups of gills, rhinophores and eggs are included for many species. Introduction explains where and how to find these beautiful creatures. Dimensions: 6 x 9 Pages: 289 pages Photos: Over 500 color photos Softcover $35.00 Contact Dave at dave@seachallengers.com

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
March 2005

Ali Hermosillo and Dave Behrens Author: Pacific Coast Nudibranchs and Nudibranch Behavior Co-Author Coral Reef Animals of the Indo Pacific Proprietor of Sea Challengers Natural History Books Send Dave mail at dave@seachallengers.com

---