Chromodoris fidelis (Kelaart, 1858)

Chromodoris fidelis is one of the most common Chromodoris species in the Marshalls, where it lives under dead coral rocks on shallow lagoon reefs to depths of about 15 meters. We have seen them at Enewetak, Kwajalein, Rongelap, and Bikini Atolls. The largest of 35 specimens measured was about 22mm in length.

They seem to eat a variety of sponges, including the yellow one these two are crawling across.

The specimen below is also eating yellow sponge. This one has a lot more orange in its margin.

Chromodoris fidelis also eats the purple sponge Chelonplysilla violacea. The colony of the sponge below seems a bit more gray than purple.

Sometimes the marginal fingers of color nearly crowd out the dorsal light yellow.

The specimen below rests between a couple of sponges, the yellow Darwinella on the left and Chelonaplysilla violacea on the right.

A tiny juvenile barely shows the characteristic color pattern.

One of the specimens below has none of the magenta submarginal pigment.

Created 14 December 2005
Updated 20 December 2008