Reasoning recorded at review

• •Elongate, high and firm-looking body with a very reduced stiff rounded mantle edge and a long posterior foot
• •Dark brown-black dorsum densely and widely covered by small closely spaced white star-like specks
• •Dark rhinophores densely speckled white, with a pale longitudinal line visible in the strongest frames
• •Translucent white-to-cream simple gill branches with a narrow warm-brown-to-black line along each edge, arranged in a posteriorly open arc
• •No broad soft mantle skirt, thin red mantle border, very large dark white-tipped gill plume, or conspicuous Doriprismatica marginal bands

Alternatives considered

• Dendrodoris nigra

  Why plausible: An adult can be black or dark grey with white mantle spots, making it a superficial colour-pattern alternative.

  Comparison: It should retain a soft broad dendrodorid mantle and an erect inward-cupped gill plume directed posteriorly, not the high firm body, reduced stiff mantle and pale line-edged gills shown here. A specimen-level vestibular-gland check would provide definitive anatomical separation.

• Dendrodoris fumata

  Why plausible: Its black and grey forms are commonly confused with other dark dorids.

  Comparison: The black form never has white dorsal specks, always has a thin red mantle border and has very large dark gills with white apices; the grey form also lacks white specks and has a flattened outward-spreading plume. Those combinations are contradicted in these photographs.

• Doriprismatica marinae

  Why plausible: This congener is warm brown with opaque white spots and cream gills crossed by paired brown edge-lines, so it is the most important spotted Doriprismatica lookalike to check explicitly.

  Comparison: D. marinae has a broad warm-brown mantle with permanent and semi-permanent undulations, one conspicuous brown marginal band, white spots denser toward the edge, and different rhinophore coloration. The Tawali animals instead show the very reduced mantle and uniformly star-speckled, high firm body of D. stellata. Radula or DNA would be decisive if external variation is suspected.

• Other Doriprismatica

  Why plausible: Several congeners share an elongate body and some have white spotting or dark-lined appendages.

  Comparison: The compared congeners have conspicuous mantle folds and marginal bands, tubercles, or appendage patterns that conflict with the original D. stellata combination. A full genus-level specimen comparison, radula and COI would provide confirmation.