Our single specimen came from Aruliho, Guadalcanal, on 30 March 1994. This species is relatively similar to specimens of Gymnodoris okinawae we've seen in Hawaii in the white spots (which are more round in the Hawaiian animals) and red or orange streaks, but are different in the shape and color of the rhinophores and anterior end. The Hawaiian and Solomon Islands specimens also differ in the construction of the gills: in a circle in Hawaii but more in a transverse row in the photos below. The Solomons animal also differs from G. okinawae reported from Okinawa and those from other parts of Japan. It is a puzzling species, or group of them, and one that deserves a lot more study.
Created 3 January 2008