Berthellina citrina is common in the Marshalls, usually found under rocks on lagoon reefs and pinnacles at depths of 1 to at least 15 meters. We have seen specimens at both Kwajalein and Enewetak Atolls. They are active at night and eat a variety of sponges and hard corals. Gosliner et al (2008) suggest that B. citrina is restricted to the Red Sea and that the one from the rest of the Indo-Pacific should be B. delicata (Pease, 1861). B. citrina is also common in Hawaii.
Below shows one with a couple of its egg masses.
The animal below had just been eating the red sponge. You can see a dug out area in the sponge just back from under the anterior end on the left side of the photo.
It occasionally comes in a yellow color form that some believe might represent a separate species.
The one below with its egg mass was found in a lagoon Halimeda patch in about 7m of water on 23 January 2012.
Created 27 January 2007
Updated 4 February 2012