Intertidal Invertebrates of the Monterey Bay Area, California

Compiled & photographed by Gary McDonald, Long Marine Laboratory, University of California, Santa Cruz

Description: Ground color translucent cream-white, with no dark pigment on body. The 5-8 opposite pairs of cerata bear numerous rather long, well spaced tubercles which occur in 4-7 (sometimes indistinct) rings around each ceras, cores vary from pale yellow, or light pinkish-orange or orange-brown. Rhinophores & calyciform rhinophore sheath with numerous small, opaque white dots. The lack of dark pigment distinguishes this species from Doto columbiana & Doto kya both of which have dark pigment on the body. May be distinguished from Doto form A which has comparatively longer and whiter papillae on the cerata, and cerata cores bright pink to salmon or rose
Size: Typically about 8mm in length.
Notes: Feeds on hydroids in the genera Abietinaria & Garveia. This species lays large eggs with lecithotrophic development compared to Doto form A which lays small eggs that develop into planktotrophic larvae. Jeff Goddard has pointed out that the currently accepted concept of Doto amyra may include at least 2, and possibly as many as 4 distinct species (see Doto form A).