Locust or Pease’s Nudibranch, Hypselodoris peasei

Another tiny nudibranch (20 mm or 3/4″) that falls into the hypselodoris look-a-like category.  This one is often confused with the Dot and Dash or Hyselodoris bertschi as it too can have broken blueish lines and has the tell-tale orange and white-lined rhinophores.  See Bill Rudham’s post in Sea Slug Forum if you’re interested in how sea slug experts discuss variations.  The Pease’s mantle margin can also appear to be a purplish colour, and its tiny size can lead one to initially think they have seen a Violet-gilled, Danielle’s or Kahuna. Good photos of this tiny creature seem hard to take and hard to find, but Cory Pittman and Pauline Fiene have some wonderful pics of their “locust-like” gatherings, as well as how varied their appearance may be.   Endemic to Hawaii