Doto lemchei Ortea & Urgorri, 1978

Description: A small Doto with no pigment spots on the cerata, but white glands are visible in the tips of the tubercles. The body and cerata have a light fawn or brown hue, and there is pale brown mottling on the head and back.

Habitat: Doto lemchei is a specialised feeder on Aglaophenia tubulifera, a plumulariid hydroid found mostly on rock surfaces in the circalittoral zone. The animals hide at the base of the hydroids but lay conspicuous spawn coils high on the stems. The spawn coil is short compared with most other Doto species, consisting of only two or three pleats.

Distribution: Recorded from Galicia in NW Spain north to Rathlin Island on the north coast of Ireland. Fairly common at Skomer Is. and at some other localities in SW Britain.

Key Identification Features:

• Lack of pigment spots on the tubercles.
• Brown hue to skin and pale brown pigment on the head and body.

Distribution Map from BioMar data for Ireland - Google Earth map:  download this placemark (not got Google Earth installed?)

Distribution Map from NBN: JNCC MNCR data - Grid map National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.