Hypselodoris maculosa, (Pease, 1871)

Yonow, Nathalie, Anderson, R. Charles & Buttress, Susan G., 2002, Opisthobranch molluscs from the Chagos Archipelago, Central Indian Ocean, Journal of Natural History 36 (7), pp. 831-882 : 858

Hypselodori s maculosa (Pease, 1871)

(®gure 13e) Hypselodoris maculosa (Pease) : Rudman, 1986b: 340, ®gure 1I, J; Yonow, 1989: 302, pl. 21; Wells and Bryce, 1993: 114, ®gure 142. Hypselodoris decorata Risbec, 1928: 152 , ®gure 43, pl. 7, ®gure 4; Rudman, 1984: 195, ®gure 57.

Material. Chag96/60: 11 mm; coral bommie east of Ile Poule, Peros Banhos Atoll; 23 February 1996; at 9 m depth.

Description. Dorsal surface orange marginally and cream medially, with a complex pattern of pink and white spots, respectively, and ®ne white lines. Rhinophores large, white with an orange band approximately one-third from the tips. Gills white with orange tips and bases. Foot translucent white, but with numerous pink and white dots posteriorly, giving it the appearance of having a pink tail.

Geographic distribution. Indo-West Paci®c: recorded from the Red Sea (Yonow, 1989), East Africa and Christmas Island to South China and Tahiti in the Paci®c (Risbec, 1928; Rudman, 1986b); collected in the Seychelles (P. Kemp, 1992) and photographed in the Maldives (R. C. Anderson and S. G. Buttress, 1995).

Remarks. This species has some variation in colour pattern, but is easily recognized by its distribution of red spots and wavy white lines on cream centrally, and white spots on red marginally. The rhinophores are characteristically long, banded with orange, although the orange bands may vary in number from one to three.