Chromodoris aureopurpurea Collingwood, 1881

Chromodoris aureopurpurea is known from the Marshalls from five specimens. The first one was found crawling along a sandy lagoon slope at a depth of 28m. This animal measured 21mm in length and is pictured in the first three photos below. This species is similar in appearance to Chromodoris albopustulosa, a species that may also include C. rufomaculata and C. alius. However, we believe C. aureopurpurea is distinct. The spotting around the margin is quite distinctive. Also, at least in our specimen, the gills, although somewhat goblet-shaped, are not quite as distinctly round and shaped almost like a ball as those found in C. albopustulosa.

Below is the second animal, which was found on 5 July 2008 on Halimeda on a sand spit on Kwajalein Atoll's east reef at a depth of about 6m. Three others have been found in this same area.

This species waves it anterior margin up and down when crawling, much like Chromodoris geometrica.

A specimen found 28 September 2008 is below.

The smaller animal below was found on Halimeda algae on an eastern Kwajalein lagoon sandy slope on 3 January 2009. An annelid worm is crawling under the nudibranch here.

This one was exposed in a Halimeda patch on a Kwajalein lagoon reef in about 10m of water on 8 August 2011.

Created 3 December 2007
Updated 20 August 2011

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