Elysia pusilla
This is apparently a common species, but it is rarely seen. I certainly would not have found it if I hadn’t been pulling fishing line that put me within inches of some Caulerpa racemosa (Rough Sea Grapes) on top of a lobe coral. Given its host I was pretty certain that I had found a rather large Julia exquisita — that is until I was able to look more closely at the images. For whatever reason, this little Elysia pusilla seemed to have made this algae its home even though it is most often found living on various species of Halimeda where it is equally well camouflaged. This animal was approximately 12 mm. On the tip of its parapodia by its foot there are a few blue spots that are not visible on all animals. . In comparison to some individuals, this one has relatively few white raised papillae. On the Sea Slugs of Hawaii site, there are images of animals that are purely white and others feeding on their host algae. Whether Caulerpa racemosa is actually one of its food sources or it just happened to land there due to surgy conditions is anybody’s guess.