 |
Doriopsilla tishae
Image courtesy of Jeff HamannRoatan, Honduras
Another new Caribbean porostome this species is listed as Doriopsilla sp. 3 in Caribbean Sea Slugs . This new species was at the printer at the same time as the book. Named after Jeff Hamann's daughter Tisha, again is a fitting tribute to both daughter and critter, as both are beautiful. D. tishae is translucent white with a network of black lines. The dorsum is covered with large, rounded, opaque white tubercles. These become larger as they reach the center of the dorsum. The rhinophores and gill are opaque yellow. Like Doriopsilla elitae , last week, and all porostomes, this species lacks a radula and feeds on sponges by salivating digestive enzymes on the sponge and then slurps the resulting sponge soup up with its oral tube. Specimens measuring up to 24 mm are known only from the islands of Guanaja and Roatan, Honduras.
Reference: Valdes, A. & J. Hamann. 2007. Two New Species of Doriopsilla from the Tropical Western Atlantic with Remarks on Cariopsillidae Ortea & Espinosa, 2005. The Veliger 50(3): 210-218.
Gig Harbor, Washington
Sept., 2009
|
