Several of these were seen in shallow water in the Tulamben area but seemed much more common on the reefs around Padangbai.
These four individuals together show some of the variation in the species.
This large individual with its dorsal ridges highly broken up and irregular has some similarity to some specimens of Phyllidia tula we have seen in the Marshalls, but the margin is much more like P. varicosa.
The one below with little indication of longitudinal ridges could be something else, but we think it is more likely a variation of P. varicosa.
Probably a very small juvenile.
Created 26 December 2012
Updated 22 June 2025