nudibranchs text index | photo index
Phylum Mollusca > Class Gastropoda > sea slug > Order Nudibranchia
Rose nudibranch
Dendrodoris fumata
Family Dendrodorididae
updated May 2020
Where seen? This brightly coloured rotund nudibranch is sometimes seen on our Northern shores, near boulders with sponges and other encrusting animals.

Features:
5-8cm long. Broad fleshy body smooth, generally all red or rose with irregular dark mottling, sometimes greyish-pink. Underside paler. It is said that it turns black as it matures, but some apparently remain red.

Sometimes mistaken for Dendrodoris nigra which looks similar in shape and are also red when young and black as adults. Usually Dendrodoris nigra has 10 -15 smaller gills forming a tight cup-shaped circle, placed further to the back and lacks dark blotches on a lighter background. Dendrodoris fumata has 5-6 large bushy feathery branching gills that when expanded, may cover the width of the animal. But the species can be definitively told apart only by looking at small internal features.

What does it eat? It eat sponges. It lacks a radula and jaws so it can't rasp or chew its food sponge. Instead, it secretes digestive juices onto the sponge and then sucks up the softened sponge with a long tube. Sort of like a sponge slurpee!

Pulau Sekudu, Jan 06

Rhinophores.

Underside.

Pulau Sekudu, Jul 06

Next to eaten up Lumpy pink sponge.
Pulau Ubin, Dec 12

Laying egg mass.
Cyrene, Mar 13

Rose nudibranchs on Singapore shores
On wildsingapore flickr

Other sightings on Singapore shores


Pasir Ris Park, Oct 09
Photo shared by Loh Kok Sheng on his blog.

Changi Loyang, May 21
Photo shared by Jianlin Liu on facebook.


Pulau Ubin, Dec 12
Photo shared by Loh Kok Sheng on flickr.

Pulau Ubin, Dec 17
Photo shared by Abel Yeo on facebook.


Pulau Sekudu, Apr 09
Photo shared by Toh Chay Hoon on her blog.

Pulau Sekudu, Oct 11

Photo shared by Loh Kok Sheng on his blog.


Beting Bronok, May 11
Photo shared by Russel Low on facebook.

Beting Bronok, Jun 10
Photo shared by Loh Kok Sheng on his blog.


Beting Bronok, Jun 16
Photo shared by Ivan Kwan on flickr.

Punggol, Jan 11
Photo shared by James Koh on flickr.


Punggol, Jun 12
Photo shared by Heng Pei Yan on her blog.

Punggol, Nov 13
Photo shared by Marcus Ng on flickr.


St. John's Island, Jul 09

Photo shared by James Koh on flickr.

St. John's Island, Jul 09

Photo shared by Loh Kok Sheng on flickr.

St. John's Island, Feb 24

Photo shared by Toh Chay Hoon on facebook.


Pulau Tekukor, Apr 24

Photo shared by Toh Chay Hoon on facbook.

Big Sisters Island, Jun 17

Photo shared by Tay Ywee Chieh on facbook.


Terumbu Semakau, Apr 21

Photo shared by Vincent Choo on facebook.

Pulau Biola, Jan 22

Photo shared by Toh Chay Hoon on facebook.

Links References
  • Tan Siong Kiat and Henrietta P. M. Woo, 2010 Preliminary Checklist of The Molluscs of Singapore (pdf), Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore.
  • Wells, Fred E. and Clayton W. Bryce. 2000. Slugs of Western Australia: A guide to the species from the Indian to West Pacific Oceans. Western Australian Museum. 184 pp.
  • Coleman, Neville. 2001. 1001 Nudibranchs: Catalogue of Indo-Pacific Sea Slugs. Neville Coleman's Underwater Geographic Pty Ltd, Australia.144pp.
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