About Diversidoris sulphurea (Rudman, 1986)
Diversidoris sulphurea has two distinct colour forms, each found in different regions of Australia. One form occurs in subtropical eastern Australia. In New South Wales specimens of this form, the entire body is uniformly bright yellow, with regular orange spots positioned around the mantle edge. These orange spots usually sit just inside the mantle edge, though they sometimes touch the edge itself. The second colour form occurs in warm temperate eastern and southern Australia, specifically in specimens from Tasmania, Victoria, and South Australia. This form differs from the New South Wales form in two key ways: it has regularly spaced white specks covering the entire mantle, except for an unmarked clear band near the mantle edge, and its orange spots are more diffuse. This marine species is endemic to warm temperate Australia, and can be found in coastal waters off New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia. In both New South Wales and Tasmania, Diversidoris sulphurea is always found growing on yellow-coloured species of the sponge genus Darwinella, which matches the nudibranch’s own body colour.
