Ola Khalaf's Nudibranch (Diaphorodoris olakhalafi Khalaf, 2017) from Dibba Sea, Gulf of Oman

Ola Khalaf's Nudibranch (Diaphorodoris olakhalafi Khalaf, 2017) from Dibba Sea, Gulf of Oman

The Ola Khalaf’s Nudibranch (Diaphorodoris olakhalafi Khalaf, 2017) from the Reef Blocks site in Dibba Sea, in a depth of 19 meters. Photo by Ola Mostafa Khalaf. 26.06.2017. http://nudibranch.webs.com/diaphorodoris-olakhalafi

Ola Khalaf’s Nudibranch (Diaphorodoris olakhalafi) is a species of dorid nudibranch in the family Calycidorididae. It is found in the Gulf of Oman off the eastern coasts of the United Arab Emirates and the Musandam Governorate of Oman (English Wikipedia).

Ola-Khalaf-Nacktkiemer Diaphorodoris olakhalafi (Khalaf, 2017) ist eine Art aus der Unterordnung der Nacktkiemer, die zu den Hinterkiemerschnecken und somit zum Stamm der Weichtiere gehört. Die Nacktkiemer werden im Volksmund auch als Unterwasser-Nacktschnecken bezeichnet. Diaphorodoris olakhalafi lebt in flachen Gewässern im Golf von Oman (German Wikipedia).

Diaphorodoris olakhalafi (Khalaf, 2017) est une espèce dans la subordination des Limace de mer, ce qui est donc l'un des Opisthobranchia et à la racine des mollusques. Les nudibranches sont communément appelés limaces sous-marines. Diaphorodoris olakhalafi vit dans les eaux peu profondes dans le golfe d'Oman (French Wikipedia).

Description and Distinctive Features:
Length of Diaphorodoris olakhalafi is between 5 - 9 mm. General body-colour is white. Body elongate-elliptical, bluntly rounded at both ends. The white mantle is ovate with the posterior end of the foot extending behind the end of the mantle. Foot produced behind in a fairly long tail, the anterior end abruptly rounded and simply labiate. The mantle is covered sparsely with small conical tubercles and the five or six gills are attached in a common pocket. The colour of the conical tubercles is white or yellow. Oral tentacles broad lobiform, with a slit-like mouth between them. The gills and rhinophores are orange-red. Rhinophore-sheath with smooth margin. Branchial plumes 5 - 6, small, simply pinnate, completely retractile within a cavity with smooth margin. Integument with spicules. There is a distinctive yellow band at the edge of both the mantle and the foot (Khalaf, 2017).

Size: Diaphorodoris olakhalafi grows between 5 - 9 mm long.

Diet: This species feeds on encrusting colonial bryozoans (Khalaf, 2017).

Habitat: Diaphorodoris olakhalafi was found in sea water in a depth between 2 – 20 meters (Khalaf, 2017).

Distribution:
The species Diaphorodoris olakhalafi lives in Khorfakkan & Dibba Sea, eastern coast of the United Arab Emirates, and the eastern coast of the Musandam Sea, Sultanate of Oman, Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean (Khalaf, 2017).

Etymology / Derivation of the Scientific Name;
The scientific name Diaphorodoris: Diaphanous Doris. From Medieval Latin diaphanus, from Greek diaphan?s, from dia ‘through’ + phainein ‘to show’. Doris in Greek mythology, wife of Nereo, nymph of the waters and mother of Nereids.; and olakhalafi is Latin for my wife the Diver and Underwater Photographer “Ola Khalaf” (born 1975).
This new Khorfakkan Nudibranch species was classified and named by the Palestinian-German Zoologist Prof. Dr. Norman Ali Bassam Khalaf-von Jaffa in May 2017, and the specific name ‘olakhalafi’ was named after his beloved wife “Ola Mostafa Esmail Mostafa Khalaf” (born in Sidon, Lebanon in 1975).
My beloved wife is an active diver and PADI Dive Instructor and is a professional underwater photographer. Diving is her main hobby and passion. She photographed and published many of her underwater photos, and she is contributing to our knowledge of the magnificent creatures living in our seas and oceans. The naming of this new species is a special gift after 20 years of marriage.

References:
Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher Mohammad Ahmad Mostafa & Ola Mostafa Esmail Mostafa Khalaf (2017). Diaphorodoris olakhalafi Khalaf, 2017 : A New Dorid Nudibranch Sea Slug Species from the Sea of Khorfakkan, Gulf of Oman, Arab Sea, Indian Ocean. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. ISSN 0178 – 6288. Number 149, May 2017, pp. 31-47. Dubai and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. http://marine-life-uae.webs.com/diaphorodoris-olakhalafi & https://issuu.com/dr-normanalibassamkhalaf/docs/nudibranch_ola_khalaf