Hypselodoris maculosa (Pease, 1871)

Hypselodoris maculosa has been found at Enewetak and Kwajalein Atolls here in the Marshalls. They usually live under dead coral on lagoon reefs and pinnacles at depths of 2 to 12 meters. Fourteen measured specimens ranged from 10 to 17mm. Differences from H. decorata are discussed under that species.

It looks as though the two specimens below are eating the remnants of a sponge colony right from its network of spongin fibers. The smaller nudibranch has a pink commensal copepod on the middle of its back.

The next one is attaching an egg coil to the substrate. The individual eggs are orange in color. According to my notes, the eggs of the related Hypselodoris decorata are rosy pink.

Like Hypselodoris decorata, when we see specimens paired, they are always paired with another of the same color form. We never see any mixed pairs of H. maculosa and H. decorata.

A very small juvenile shows the color pattern beginning to form.

Created 20 December 2005
Updated 14 January 2007