Marine Life / Nudibranchs

Doto racemosa

kingdom

Animalia

phylum

Mollusca

class

Gastropoda

order

Nudibranchia

family

Dotidae

genus

Doto

species

Doto racemosa

Doto racemosa is a tiny nudibranch in the family Dotidae. Its knobbly cerata carry pale tubercles ringed with pink. These clustered projections give it a very different outline from the smooth, finger-like cerata of many aeolid nudibranchs.

Doto feed on hydroids and are often found among the colonies on which they feed. Their close association with these delicate animals makes a slow, careful inspection more useful than disturbing a colony to see what is inside.

For Philippine divers, this is a subject worth examining with a good macro setup. Compare the tubercle markings and overall arrangement with the book instead of using body colour alone.

Keep your camera and fins away from the hydroid. Focus on the head, then take a frame showing the pink-ringed tubercles. Wait for a clear view rather than bending branches or repositioning the slug.

It appears on page 212 of Nudibranchs of the Philippines.

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