Doris pecten is relatively common in very shallow water, usually 1m or less, under rocks that bear a coating of the dark blue sponge that they eat. The one immediately below has just glued down a white egg mass to the rocks. We have seen specimens on shallow reefs at Puako, Hawaii, and at Kewalo Basin, Maile, Hanauma Bay, and Hauula on Oahu. Some days at Kewalo they were quite common, with more than 10 specimens observed in an hour's sampling. WORMS and Molluscabase both list this species in the genus Doriopsis but retain Doris for the very similar Doris viridis. Until the situation is straightened out, we will follow Gosliner et al (2018) and stick with Doris for all three species.
The specimens below had me confused for years. Finding them together under a rock, I just assumed they were both Doris pecten. Later, after I found what I thought was my first Doris nucleola, it still did not register that the larger of these two Doris I had photographed below was actually D. nucleola.
Created 20 April 2009
Updated 29 September 2023