Hypselodoris maculosa has been found at Enewetak, Kwajalein, Ailinginae and Majuro Atolls in the Marshalls. They usually live under dead coral on lagoon reefs and pinnacles at depths of 2 to 12 meters. Fourteen measured specimens ranged from 10 to 17mm. Differences from H. decorata are discussed under that species.
It looks as though the two specimens below are eating the remnants of a sponge colony right from its network of spongin fibers. The smaller nudibranch has a pink commensal copepod on the middle of its back.
The next one is attaching an egg coil to the substrate. The individual eggs are orange in color. According to my notes, the eggs of the related Hypselodoris cf decorata are rosy pink.
Like Hypselodoris cf decorata, when we see specimens paired, they are always paired with another of the same color form. We never see any mixed pairs of H. maculosa and H. cf decorata.
A very small juvenile shows the color pattern beginning to form.
This one came from the Kwajalein Atoll seaward reef, crawling on hard reef at a depth of about 7m on 6 July 2009.
This one was found on a Kwajalein lagoon pinnacle on 21 July 2014. Although showing a trace of a third orange band on the rhinophore, the rest of the color pattern most closely matches H. maculosa. See a comparison of somewhat extreme forms between H. maculosa and H. decorata here.
A specimen found under a rock at Marita Shoals pinnacle on 1 August 2016.
The individual below was found by Ken Cone and Beth Van Zummeren at Ailinginae Atoll.
A classic example of the species from Majuro from Ken Cone and Beth Van Zummeren.
Created 20 December 2005
Updated 12 November 2021