A number of Bornella species are somewhat similar in color but differ in anatomical details. This Hawaiian species lacks some details of color, such as the subapical orange rings on the dorso-lateral processes, that we see in specimens of B. stellifer from the Marshall Islands. In color, it looks a bit more, but not exactly, like a Marshall Islands species, Bornella johnsonorum, which can be further differentiated from B. stellifer by radular morphology. Right now we are leaving this as B. cf stellifer until someone has specimens to examine internally and the time to do it. We saw close to 20 of these, all at night in ledges and caves at depths of 5-15m at Makua and Pupukea, Oahu, and Puako, Hawaii.
Created 20 April 2009