Hypselodoris festiva
(A.Adams, 1861)

Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DORIDINA
Family: Chromodorididae

DISTRIBUTION

. Because of the confusion surrounding the identification of this and similarly coloured species it is difficult to be sure which published records of this species are correctly identified. At present this species is known from Japan and Hong Kong.

PHOTO

Kominato, Boso Peninsula, Japan. PHOTO: Yoshi Hirano.

This blue and yellow species of Hypselodoris is characterized by the uniform blue background colour, a median yellow line (usually unbroken), and a series of yellow spots or streaks forming a line down each side of the mantle behind the rhinophores. There is a thin irregular yellow border to the mantle and the rhinophore club and gills are edged in orange. It grows to 30 mm in length. Another species with the same species name, Mexichromis festiva (Angas, 1864) was reported earlier from Hong Kong (Orr 1981: 26 - as Chromodoris festiva).

Reference:
• Baba, K. (1995). Anatomical and taxonomical review of four blue-patterned species of Hypselodoris (Nudibranchia: Chromodorididae) from Japan. Venus (Japanese Journal of Malacology), 54(1): 1-15.
• Rudman, W.B. & Darvell, B.W. (1990) Opisthobranch molluscs of Hong Kong. Part 1. Goniodorididae, Onchidorididae, Triophidae, Gymnodorididae, Chromodorididae, (Nudibranchia). Asian Marine Biology, 7: 31-79

Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 1999 (July 1) Hypselodoris festiva (A.Adams, 1861). [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/hypsfest

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