White-spot porostome (Doriopsilla albopunctata)
Source-cited species reference: taxonomy from WoRMS, biology from SeaLifeBase, occurrence map from GBIF, description from Wikipedia.
Last updated
jkirkhart35 · via Wikipedia: Doriopsilla albopunctata · CC BY 2.0
Doriopsilla albopunctata, the white-spotted sea goddess, is a species of dorid nudibranch, a colorful sea slug, in the family Dendrodorididae. It is native to the Pacific Coast of North America, from Mendocino County, California south, possibly to Baja California Peninsula, Mexico.
Scientific classification
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumMollusca
- ClassGastropoda
- OrderNudibranchia
- FamilyDendrodorididae
- GenusDoriopsilla
- SpeciesDoriopsilla albopunctata
Named by (Cooper, 1863)
Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Doriopsilla albopunctata (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 537019 (CC BY 4.0)
How big is it?
Largest length in the source, 0.04 m, next to a 1.8 m person.
Diagram: drawn by Codexery, schematic shapes to scale (not a likeness). Length: SeaLifeBase species summary
Where the white-spot porostome (doriopsilla albopunctata) has been recorded
Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (39,445 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 11 inland records left out (institution coordinates).
Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain) · place coordinates: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Classification (WoRMS)
Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Mollusca · Class: Gastropoda · Order: Nudibranchia · Family: Dendrodorididae · Genus: Doriopsilla.
Accepted name: Doriopsilla albopunctata · Authority: (J. G. Cooper, 1863) · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 537019.
Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Doriopsis reticulata T. D. A. Cockerell & Eliot, 1905; Doris albopunctata J. G. Cooper, 1863.
Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=537019 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.
Biology and life history (SeaLifeBase)
Measured values published by SeaLifeBase for Doriopsilla albopunctata. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.
Maximum length: 4 cm · Habitat zone: benthic · Vulnerability index: 10 of 100.
SeaLifeBase notes: Assumed maximum length from Ref. 822.
Source: SeaLifeBase species summary (SpecCode 8531) — https://www.sealifebase.se/summary/Doriopsilla-albopunctata.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-25.
Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)
39,445 georeferenced occurrence records for Doriopsilla albopunctata are published through GBIF from 3 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 14 distinct locations from a sample of 3,000 records, omitting 11 inland records that carry an institution's coordinates rather than a collection site; it shows where the species has been observed and reported, not a modelled range.
Most records by country or area: United States of America (39,406); Mexico (38); Kenya (1).
The full country table, WoRMS marine regions and the sampling notes are on this species' Distribution page.
Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2292449) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2292449&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=537019 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-25.
Description and natural history (Wikipedia)
There are five other species that are quite similar to Doriopsilla albopunctata and can be confused with it: Doriopsilla bertschi (Hoover, Lindsay, Goddard & Valdés, 2015), Doriopsilla davebehrensi (Hoover, Lindsay, Goddard & Valdés, 2015), Doriopsilla fulva (MacFarland, 1905), Doriopsilla gemela (Gosliner, Schaefer & Millen, 1999), and Baptodoris mimetica (Gosliner, 1991).
This species is found from Mendocino to San Diego, California and possibly on the Pacific coast of Baja California Peninsula, Mexico.
This nudibranch can grow as large as 60 mm ( inches). It can be yellow or orange or brown, but always with very small opaque white dots. The dots are on the tips of raised tubercles and in circles around the tubercles. The rhinophores on the head end are yellow or orange-yellow in color, and the gills (the rosette at the back) are white or pale yellow.
The food of Doriopsilla albopunctata needs to be clarified in the light of newly discovered species and reports may be of related species. It has been reported to eat an orange sponge at Bahía de los Ángeles but this is possibly a reference to Doriopsilla bertschi. It has also been reported to eat Cliona californiana, the yellow boring sponge.
Source: Wikipedia: Doriopsilla albopunctata — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doriopsilla_albopunctata (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.
Related in White-spot porostome
Links follow this subject's own source article.
Elsewhere in White-spot porostome
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Doriopsilla albopunctata (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Classification: the source article's taxobox; order, family and genus checked against WoRMS, the World Register of Marine Species (CC BY 4.0).
- Occurrence records: GBIF (CC0 / CC BY). Basemap: Natural Earth (public domain).
- Biology values: SeaLifeBase species summary (CC BY-NC 3.0, non-commercial).
- Word definitions: the , each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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