This highly photogenic animal was a very common species around the Channel Islands in the 1980s. Its abundance may be related to its varied diet, which is reported to include not only hydroids but other nudibranchs (including members of its own species), ascidians, and jellyfish. It was formerly considered Hermissenda crassicornis, a separate species with a more northerly distribution.
Young specimen.
Created 15 November 2008
Updated 13 June 2020
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