Biuve fulvipunctata (Baba, 1938)
30mm

The highly variable Biuve fulvipunctata is sporadically not especially rare on sandy lagoon reefs near patches of Halimeda algae, usually at a depth of around 8 to 10 meters. This species was recently and somewhat controversially moved to the genus Biuve. Gosliner et al (2018) figure it as a species of Aglaja. We suspect what we show as Biuve cf fulvipunctata is simply a color form of this variable species.

The specimen with the bright orange dots below was found on Kwajalein's lagoon reef in a Halimeda patch at a depth of about 8m on 25 May 2009.

The specimen in the photo below was observed on 21 July 2008.

The specimen below was photographed on 25 August 2008.

The next specimen was observed on 24 November 2008 in a Kwajalein Atoll lagoon patch of tangled filamentous green algae.

The attractive animal below was in a lagoon algae patch on 18 July 2011.

We had been keeping specimens like those in the two photos below under a separate species number, but as more specimens were found it became apparent that it was another color form of Aglaja fulvipunctata.

Yet another variation, found on Kwajalein Atoll's seaward reef at about 15m on 31 May 2009.

The specimen below was one of several found in Kwajalein lagoon Halimeda patches in August 2011.

More variants from Majuro Atoll found by Ken Cone and Beth Van Zummeren.

Created 27 February 2008
Updated 18 July 2021

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