Hypselodoris purpureomaculosa - from North Borneo

January 18, 2007
From: Richard Swann

Hello

I wondered if you could help me id these two. I took the shot at 21 m in the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park Kota Kinabalu, North Borneo. The area is generally quite sheltered with the reefs reaching a max depth of around 24 m. I have seen many here at various depths between 9 and 22 m but can't find them in my books. They resemble Chromodoris fidelis but has markings on the foot and also orange gills and rhinophores, as you can see they are tucking into the coral which I often observe them eating.

Locality: Sulug island, Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, Kota Kinabalu, 21 meters, Sabah, Borneo, South China Sea, 7th January 2007, gentle sloping reef sandy bed after 24m. Length: largest one 2cm. Photographer: Richard Swann.


Many thanks for your time
Richard

richard@downbelow.co.uk

Swann, R., 2007 (Jan 18) Hypselodoris purpureomaculosa - from North Borneo. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/19243

Dear Richard,
This is a very interesting find. It is the chromodorid, Hypselodoris purpureomaculosa, a species we know very little about. Of particular interest is that these animals are clearly feeding, not on coral, but a dysideid sponge, Euryspongia. The white network visible in the lower left enlargement photo is part of the sponge colony the slugs have already eaten - all that is left are the spongin fibres which form the sponge skeleton. This is the first record we have of this species feeding.

Any other photos you have of nudibranchs feeding would be welcome. There are many more scuba divers with cameras out there than there are sea slug researchers. I like to think that one of the values of the Forum is that it provides a way for amateur observations to be more than private memories - they can become valuable bits of information which will help us better understand these fascinating animals.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2007 (Jan 18). Comment on Hypselodoris purpureomaculosa - from North Borneo by Richard Swann. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/19243

Factsheet

Hypselodoris purpureomaculosa

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