Hypselodoris zephyra Gosliner & Johnson, 1999
20mm

Hypselodoris zephyra is known from the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans, but the Marshall Islands are a considerable extension of the range. Two of these measuring about 20mm each were found at a depth of about 7m in a Kwajalein lagoon algae patch by Jay Lord in June 2016. A strong El Niño in 2015 and 2016 caused prolonged westerly winds, and it is known that such periods are characterized by warm water masses moving from west to east in the Pacific. We suspect that these conditions probably bring in planktonic larvae from the west and may influence species composition in places like the Marshalls.

Created 29 June 2016

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