Tenellia sp. #5

This is an extremely tiny aeolid — no more than 4-5 mm.  I spotted the egg mass long before I noticed these stunning orange and white Tenellia.  There were two animals caught in a  collection of marine debris — fishing line, twigs, tiny bits of plastic and beads along with the hydroids this nudibranch species likely preys upon.  Found in less than 2 metres of water off of Ma’alaea Bay, Maui.  For more information and photos of this rarely seen animal, please see Sea Slugs of Hawaii.