Rough-mantled Doris in Strande (Kiel fiord, Germany)
A rare member of the group of star snails, the rough-mantled doris Onchidoris bilamellata (Linnaeus, 1761) was found and identified in Strande (Bay of Kiel) by the TaMOs member P. Schubert. This star snail is not a common member of the standard species inventory of Kiel bay. Onchidoris bilamellata usually prefers a higher salinity and is well known from the North Sea. The finding of this species may be an indication of a recent intrusion of new saltwater from adjacent North Sea regions through the Kattegat into the Baltic.
The rough-mantled doris Onchidoris bilamellata (Linnaeus, 1761) (Picture: P. Schubert)
Characteristics
- Length: 25 to 40mm
- Width: 20mm
- Color: White to brown
- Habitus: up to 32 bushy gills in horseshoe like half circles at the rear end; two comblike rhinophores with 14-16 lamellae
- Distribution: Intertidal zone down to 20m depth
North-Western Atlantic, european Arctis, Canada, American east- and west coast - Taxonomy:
Phylum: Mollusca
Subphylum: Conchifera
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Ophistobranchia
Order: Nudibranchia
Superfamily: Doridoidea
Family: Onchidoris
Genus: Onchidoris
