Geitodoris heathi

Geitodoris heathi, common name "Heath's dorid", is a species of colorful sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a shell-less marine gastropod mollusc in the family Dorididae.[1][2]

Geitodoris heathi
Geitodoris heathi in a Central California tide pool, surrounded by red algae and bryozoans
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Heterobranchia
Order: Nudibranchia
Suborder: Doridina
Superfamily: Doridoidea
Family: Discodorididae
Genus: Geitodoris
Species:
G. heathi
Binomial name
Geitodoris heathi
(MacFarland, 1905)
Synonyms
  • Discodoris fulva O'Donoghue, 1924
  • Discodoris heathi MacFarland, 1905 (original combination)

Distribution

This species of dorid nudibranch lives in the eastern Pacific, from Alaska to Baja California.

Description

This nudibranch grows to be about 45 mm, or almost 2 inches in length. It can be white, yellow, or even a sort of pinkish color. It often sports small dark speckles that may appear as large brown patches to the naked eye. These dark speckles also often cause their gills to appear as a dusty colour, as well.[3]

  • Geitodoris heathi, a mating pair
    Geitodoris heathi, a mating pair
  • Geitodoris heathi
    Geitodoris heathi
  • Geitodoris heathi
    Geitodoris heathi
  • Geitodoris heathi from Pillar Point, California This nudibranch is often confused with the Monterey sea lemon and the noble sea lemon. The Monterey sea lemon generally grows larger and sports larger tubercles and dorsal spots than Heath's dorid and sea lemons generally lack the darker gill colouration seen in Heath's dorid. However, the variability between specimens of all three species makes identification significantly more difficult.
    Geitodoris heathi from Pillar Point, California This nudibranch is often confused with the Monterey sea lemon and the noble sea lemon. The Monterey sea lemon generally grows larger and sports larger tubercles and dorsal spots than Heath's dorid and sea lemons generally lack the darker gill colouration seen in Heath's dorid. However, the variability between specimens of all three species makes identification significantly more difficult.

Notes

References
  1. Dayrat B. 2010. A monographic revision of discodorid sea slugs (Gastropoda, Opisthobranchia, Nudibranchia, Doridina). Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, Series 4, vol. 61, suppl. I, 1-403, 382 figs., available online at "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 8, 2015. Retrieved January 8, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=579047 on 2012-03-01
  2. Bouchet, P. (2015). Geitodoris heathi (MacFarland, 1905). In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=579047 on 2016-05-21
  3. "Heath's dorid • Geitodoris heathi". Biodiversity of the Central Coast. Retrieved 2023-07-15.

Books
  • Behrens David W., 1980, Pacific Coast Nudibranchs: a guide to the opisthobranchs of the northeastern Pacific, Sea Challenger Books, California


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