About Doto pinnatifida (Montagu, 1804)
Doto pinnatifida is a moderately sized nudibranch that reaches a maximum length of 30 millimeters. It has a pale body, with darkly mottled, nodular clusters of cerata arranged in pairs along the length of its body. Its rhinophores emerge from cup-shaped sheaths that have black spots along their margins. This species was first described from Devon, England. It is commonly found in the North Atlantic Ocean along the coasts of the United Kingdom and France. There are reports of this species from the South African coast, ranging from the Atlantic coast to Knysna, but these reports are likely erroneous. South African specimens differ noticeably in appearance from northeast Atlantic specimens, and are probably an undescribed species referred to here as Doto cf. pinnatifida. In South Africa, this similar form occurs from the intertidal zone down to a depth of 30 meters. Doto pinnatifida feeds exclusively on the hydroid Nemertesia antennina.
