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.
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Acknowledgments
This study was a part of the Plant Genetic Conservation Project under the Royal Initiative of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. The authors would like to thank numerous collectors particular Chalothon Raksasab, Prasith Boonsob, James Dimond, Moten Larsen, Dennis Adams, Nok Malaidang, Sarawut Siriwong, members of the Reef Biology Group, and the Naval Special Warfare Command. This work was partially supported by TOTAL Corporate Foundation and TOTAL E&P Thailand, TRF (RSA5480028), BRT_R 149015, BRT_R 351144, National Research University Project of CHE and the Ratchadaphiseksomphot Endowment Fund (CC1039A), STAR (G100STAR 54-003-23-002), SP2, and RES-A1B1-28 of Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University. We also thank three anonymous reviewers who provided constructive comments to improve the manuscript.
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Chavanich, S., Viyakarn, V., Sanpanich, K. et al. Diversity and occurrence of nudibranchs in Thailand. Mar Biodiv 43, 31–36 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-012-0141-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-012-0141-4