Dendrodoris guttata (Nudibranchia: Dendrodorididae) from Korean Waters

Abstract

The genus Dendrodoris Ehrenberg, 1831 includes about 46 valid species worldwide, and is found in relatively shallow waters in the Indo-Pacific, Atlantic, and Australian regions. To date, five Dendrodoris species have been reported from Korea. In this study, we report D. guttata (Odhner, 1917) collected from Jeju Island. Morphology is distinguished from other Dendrodoris species by the shape of the black spots on the dorsal mantle and coloration of the gills. We determined mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (cox1) partial sequences and combined them with publically available sequences of closely related congeneric species to examine its phylogenetic position among Dendrodoris species.