Review of the genus Dendrodoris ehrenberg, 1831 (Gastropoda: Nudibranchia) in the Atlantic Ocean

Abstract

Six valid species of the nudibranch genus Dendrodoris Ehrenberg, 1831 inhabit the Atlantic Ocean, including the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas: Dendrodoris limbata (Cuvier, 1804), Dendrodoris grandiflora (Rapp, 1827), Dendrodoris nigra (Stimpson, 1855) (immigrant from the Red Sea), Dendrodoris krebsii (Mörch, 1863), Dendrodoris senegalensis Bouchet, 1975 and Dendrodoris warta Marcus & Gallagher, 1976. Additional data about the biology and geographical distribution of these species are presented. New evidence suggests that other species assigned to the genus Dendrodoris, Dendrodoris racemosa Pruvot-Fol, 1951 and Dendrodoris minima Pruvot-Fol, 1951, must be included in the genus Doriopsilla Bergh, 1880. Three new species of Dendrodoris are described from the Northeastern Atlantic and West Africa: Dendrodoris angolensis, Dendrodoris guineana and Dendrodoris herytra. The variable external morphology makes species recognition difficult. Instead, the diagnostic characters utilised to separate species are the shape of the male cirrus hooks, the structure of the reproductive system and features of the egg-mass.