Ardeadoris angustolutea (Rudman,
1990)
25mm
This species is occasionally seen
at Enewetak and Kwajalein Atoll. They seem to prefer lagoon interisland reefs
and pinnacles at depths of about 4 to 20 meters. While most of them hide under
rocks by day, specimens are sometimes seen exposed on rocks during the day or
in ledges at night. One was on a sponge encrusted piling under Medren Pier at
Enewetak. Sixteen measured specimens ranged from 8 to 25mm in length. Ardeadoris
angustolutea was first reported in the Marshalls from Enewetak Atoll in
the original description as Noumea angustolutea by Rudman (1990).
The pair below was found under
a chunk of prickly Porolithon algae on a shallow western lagoon reef
at a depth of about 6m on 20 October 2008. Right in front of the larger one
is a small cephalaspidean Colpodaspis
thompsoni.
A tiny juvenile no more than 3mm
in length was photographed by Stan Jazwinski.
Below is a large, 25mm specimen
found at a depth of about 7m in a cave at night on a Kwajalein lagoon reef on
20 June 2009.
A pair over an egg mass.
This unusually yellow individual
was under a rock in about 6m of water on the lagoon side of Ennubuj Island on
11 August 2014.
Below is a similar looking species
from Hawaii, Ardeadoris scottjohnsoni. This looks in size, shape, color
to be closely related to A. angustolutea. The biggest external difference
is the overall whiter coloration and the darker, mostly black, rhinophores and
gills. Curiously, the same pattern in gill coloration can be seen in Ardeadoris
tomsmithi, which occurs both in the Marshalls and in Hawaii. The Hawaiian
A. tomsmithi have mostly black rhinophores, much like those of A.
scottjohnsoni, while specimens from the Marshalls have brown rhinophores,
more like those of A. angustolutea. The differences between A.
angustolutea and A. scottjohnsoni should probably be reexamined.
Created 18 December 2005
Updated 13 April 2018
Return to chromodorid thumbnails
UnderwaterKwaj home