Baeolidia moebii is not rare in the Marshalls in certain habitats. We have seen numerous specimens here, once on a shallow lagoon reef at Enewetak Atoll under a rock at a depth of 8 meters and quite a number, 40 or more, recent specimens at about the same depth on a Kwajalein Atoll lagoon reef in Halimeda algae. We previously had this as Baeolidia major. Baeolidia moebii was first reported in the Marshalls from Enewetak Atoll as Spurilla major by Johnson & Boucher (1984).
This large 35mm long specimen nearly lacked the blue and yellow cerata bands seen on many of the smaller ones we see. It was found in Halimeda on a lagoon reef on 16 November 2008.
This close up shows the papillate rhinophores and brown speckling in the skin.
At about 14mm, the specimen in the two photos below is about the smallest we have seen.
The following specimen was in the midst of a wide sandy slope. Apparently, this small ball of furry Lyngbya blue-green algae was all it could find to attach its eggs to. This specimen was seen on 20 October 2008 in Kwajalein lagoon at a depth of about 16m.
The animal in the two photos below was observed on 3 July 2011.
We also have this species from Hawaii.
Created 8 January 2007
Updated 10 August 2013