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| nudibranchs text index | photo index |
| Phylum Mollusca > Class Gastropoda > sea slugs > Order Nudibranchia |
| Hypselodoris
nudibranchs Hypselodoris sp. Family Chromodorididae updated May 2020 Where seen? These small colourful nudibranchs are sometimes seen on our Northern shores. On coral rubble and rocky shores with sponges and encrusting animals. Features: 2-3cm. Body long, narrow with a long tail. Usually colourful with bright spots. Large flower-like gills on the back and large rhinophores (relative to the body size). Hypselodoris kanga is one of a number of species with a bluish background colour, short dark blue lines and yellow or orange spots. It is very similar to the Pink-gilled hypselodoris which is similar to Hypselodoris infucata. Hypselodoris kanga has gills with a triangular cross-section edged in blue with a series of yellow spots up the outer face. Hypselodoris infucata has thin branching gills. Hypselodoris bullockii is often encountered by divers in our reefs. It comes in a wide variety of colours and patterns which causes some ID confusion. Hypselodoris maritima is pale with black blotches and a yellow margin. Hypselodoris placida is listed among our nudibranchs but Dr Bill Rudman's website says they are only known from Japan and Hong Kong. What do they eat? They eat sponges, each Hypselodoris species usually specialising in a particular species of sponge. Although tiny, apparently they can feed voraciously. They eat the sponge tissues and leave the hard bits (spicules) of the sponge behind as a skeleton. Dysidea sp. is a sponge they have been recorded feeding on. Members of the Family Chromodorididae absorb the toxic chemicals in their sponge food and incorporate these chemicals into the mantle glands on their backs where they repel predators. |
| Some hypselodoris nudibranchs on Singapore shores |
 Pink-gilled hypselodoris |
 Hypselodoris maritima |
| Acknowledgements Thanks to Toh Chay Hoon for sorting out the Hypselodoris from the Chromodoris photos. Links
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IKAN-Unterwasserachiv, Frankfurt. 321 pp.