Sclerodoris tuberculata is moderately rare in the Marshalls. A few more than a dozen specimens have been observed at Kwajalein and Enewetak Atolls. Despite the relatively few specimens, the base color of the animals have ranged from yellow orange to orange and bright red (s the two pictured below), all the way to dark brown for a large, 70mm specimen. All but four were under dead coral or aluminum siding debris blown into the lagoon by storms; two were under dead coral in a surge channel on the seaward reef at Kwajalein; and the last came from a Kwajalein lagoon Halimeda patch. Depths ranged from 4 to 15 meters. The 49mm orange individual immediately below was found with a large, ruffled-edged orange egg coil. Ova were orange, 105µm in capsules 125 to 130µm in diameter. There were about 114 ova per mm squared, and the larvae developed Type 1 shells with purplish spires.
The one immediately below was one of the smaller specimens found, measuring about 35mm. It was in a patch of Halimeda algae on Kwajalein Atoll's lagoon reef at a depth of about 8m on 21 April 2008.
This striking red specimen was found crawling on sand in a Halimeda patch on the same Kwajalein Atoll lagoon reef on 5 July 2009.
This small 15mm specimen was found in a Halimeda patch on a Kwajalein lagoon reef on 29 October 2011.
This small individual appeared to be eating the light reddish sponge growing on a stalk of algae.
This orange animal found on 9 October 2012 appears to be the same species.
The one below was under a rock on a pinnacle off Gagan Island on 18 August 2014.
This one was under a small flat piece if dead coral lying on the steep seaward reef slope at Kwajalein at a depth of about 23m.
This one was under a rock on the top of the seaward reef slope at Ninni Island.
This animal found by Jay Lord is apparently a juvenile Sclerodoris tuberculata.
Created 15 December 2006
Updated 2 December 2018