Seven specimens of this unidentified Eubranchus species were found at Enewetak Atoll and several more at Kwajalein and Majuro. Many of the Kwajalein animals were found in the fall of 2015 during a strong El Niño. All Enewetak specimens (first photo) were under dead coral on lagoon reefs at depths from 1 to 5 meters. Sizes ranged from 4 to 7mm. The Sea Slugs of Hawaii site also figures this species and it is figured as Eubranchus sp. 20 in Gosliner et al (2018).
The three photos below show a specimen found under a rock on a shallow seaward reef at Kwajalein Atoll on 11 November 2010.
The 5mm specimen below was found on a Kwajalein lagoon pinnacle on 10 October 2011.
The specimen below was under a rock on Kwajalein Atoll seaward reef on 24 April 2014.
Another was on a Kwajalein midlagoon pinnacle on 27 July 2015. It is crawling on an empty bivalve shell.
The next few photos show animals found on a lagoon pinnacle that about 7 months previously had been badly damaged by a cargo ship running aground. Much of the coral was crushed into white rubble and rocks. In December 2015, much of the crushed coral was still white, but quite a lot had been covered by algae, which was being grazed by numerous parrotfish and tangs. Some growth, small sponges, bryozoans and quite a few hydroids, had begun growing on the undersurfaces of the rocks, and a number of small eolid species were found, including a pair of this Eubranchus.
A specimen from Majuro Atoll (below) was found and photographed by John and Lynette Flynn.
More from Majuro from Ken Cone and Beth Van Zummeren.
Created 8 January 2007
Updated 16 November 2021