Vayssierea felis

I originally mistook this 1-2mm (yes, no bigger than that) orange nudibranch for a newborn gymnodoris of some sort, but when I looked more closely at the photos later I realized it had no gills and its rhinophores had a distinct shape in relationship to its body.   This was a Vayssierea felis! This is the only nudibranch of this family to be found on Maui and it has some unusual traits.  Its eggs are nearly as large as the larvae and one can often see the eggs through the body of the animal (see better images of this on Sea Slugs of Maui site).  Yes, that one big orange dot on this animal is an egg! Found in a few feet of water off in North Kihei, Maui.  The nudibranch above the V. felis is a Phidiana semi-decora  — they are also a very small nudibranchs, reaching 16 mm!

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