Doris sp. 1?

This tiny doris (8-10 mm) was found on a shelf of grey sponge in <2 metres of water off of Ma’alaea Bay, Maui.  It remains a question mark in terms of identification, but the closest we could come was a species of dorid found by Scott Johnson in the late 1970s.  It has fine blue specs and a slight tinge of blue/lilac to it’s papillae, but is recognizably different from Doris pecten, perhaps its closest look-a-like.  For more photos of an even smaller animal in a contracted? position please see Sea Slugs of Hawaii

Related Images: