Diversity and Occurrence of Nudibranchs in Thailand

Abstract

The diversity and occurrence of nudibranchs were studied during a 10-year survey in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, Thailand. We recorded 96 species in 40 genera and 17 families at 0–20 m depth, which resulted in a total of 136 species in Thai waters in combination with previous studies. The largest group was the suborder Doridina (81 % of the species), followed by the suborder Aeolidina (15 %). The Chromodorididae, Phyllidiidae, and Discodorididae were the most dominant families. During the surveys, 39 % of the nudibranch species was found on coral rubble, 28 % on sand, 8 % on rock, and 25 % in association with sessile organisms.