Hypselodoris maritima
(Baba, 1949)

Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DORIDINA
Family: Chromodorididae

DISTRIBUTION

Although often reported from the northwestern tropical Pacific waters of China and Japan, and the east coast of Australia, there are few records from the tropical western Pacific. I have found it in New Caledonia.

PHOTO

Solitary Is - Coffs Harbour region, northern New South Wales, April 1987.
UPPER: typical colour form. LOWER: melanistic (black) colour form.
PHOTOS: Bill Rudman.

Grows to about 20mm long. It is rather similar in colour to Hypselodoris nigrolineata from East Africa. H. maritima differs in having a blue submarginal border (red-purple in H. nigrolineata) and in having a yellow band inside the blue border, absent in the other species. The gills in H maritima are white with orange edgings, while in H. nigrolineata they are uniform orange. See also Hypselodoris sp. 7.

References:
• Rudman, W.B. (1982) The Chromodorididae (Opisthobranchia: Mollusca) of the Indo-West Pacific: Chromodoris quadricolor, C. lineolata and Hypselodoris nigrolineata colour groups. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 76: 183-241.
• Rudman, W.B. & Darvell, B.W. (1990) Opisthobranch Molluscs of Hong Kong: Part 1. Nudibranch Families; Goniodorididae, Onchidorididae, Triophidae, Gymnodorididae, Chromodorididae (Nudibranchia). Asian Marine Biology, 7: 31-79.

Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 1999 (June 19) Hypselodoris maritima (Baba, 1949). [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/hypsmari

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