Dorid sp.

Image courtesy of Ray Haberman
Dive Site "The Garden"
St. Vincent, Caribbean

Dorid sp. Undescribed Dorid (I mistook for a Lamellariid) Well this week I sure got my hand slapped. Guess the old eyes are wearing out. Apparently my critics are seeing things I don't. So we are going to change out the discussion of just how much this critter looks like a prosobranch snail of the genus Lamellaria, and call it a nifty new dorid nudibranch. Apparently what I was calling the anterior siphon is nothing more than a fold in the mantle, and the absence of gill and rhinophores is that they are retracted, having been disturbed when Ray overturned the rock. Okay I can buy that. I have tried to match it to one of the dorids in Caribbean Sea Slugs , but can't find a close enough match to give it a name. All of you diving St. Vincent please keep your eyes open and collect it when you see one. One of my co-authors is anxious to describe it. Thanks Ray for bringing this new one to our attention.

Ray has been SCUBA diving since 1957 took up underwater photography about 5 years ago. Ray came to St Vincent 10 years ago to dive with Bill Tewes, the "Critter King of the Caribbean" and see what he was bragging about. Ray has been here ever since. Now that Bill has retired, Ray has taken over the job of looking for and photographing critters. "... On July 25th of this year, I found the snail at a dive site called "The Garden." I was in 15-20' of water, close to shore. I was turning rocks looking for flatworms and nudibranchs when I came across what I thought was a nudibranch. I looked in your book but didn't find anything that looked like mine. Bill gave me his copy of your book and I saw that it had been autographed by you and Anne. I sent the photo's off to her and here we are..." Ray's pictures can be seen on his website , www.rayhabermangallery.phanfare.com/ and are free for the taking. Send Ray email at Masterdiver50@att.net

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