Goniodoris sp. 1

This may be the tiniest nudibranch I have ever photographed.  It stood out on a rock in an area of rubble due to its extreme cream and white colouring and the fact that it moved slightly.  It was only the camera lens and microscopic setting that confirmed it was a goniodoris.  How all these minute details can fit into 2 mm is beyond me, but once captured their red tipped, yellow-ringed rhinophores and almost hour-glass markings on their notum stand out.  How rare this tiny nudibranch is is anybody’s guess, but this is the first one documented in almost 30 years on Maui — the last one was photographed in 1995 by Pauline Fiene.   For more information and photos please see Sea Slugs of Hawaii.