Home Acknowledgments Conventions Glossary Maps References Links Articles Thumbnails Species list Family Next species _______________   Additional Photos   underside   red line   contracted cerata   egg mass _______________   GALLERY	Aeolidiella alba Risbec, 1928   Maximum size:  9 mm. Identification:  This is a chalk-white aeolid with prominent swellings on its rhinophores and, usually, an orange-red patch on top of its head. Often, there is also a narrow red line surrounding the bases of the rhinophores. It is similar to Aeolidiella cf. japonica but is more coarsely mottled with fewer cerata in each arc and less well defined white tips on its cerata. Natural history:  Aeolidiella alba is a common diurnal species found in protected to moderately exposed rocky habitats and in Halimeda kanaloana beds at depths of < 1 to 11 m (< 3 to 36 ft). When crawling, it jerks its posterior cerata rhythmically. As least to a human eye, this makes it resemble a sprig of  the calcified green algae Neomeris sp. waving in the current. Its egg mass is a weakly kinked white spiral. The eggs hatch in about four days in the laboratory. Distribution:  Maui, Oahu, Kauai, French Frigate Shoals and Midway: circumtropical. Taxonomic notes:  First recorded in Hawaii at Magic Island, Oahu by Scott Johnson on Jan. 18, 1978. Photo:  PF: 8 mm: found by CP: Hekili Pt., Maui; Sept. 25, 1990. Observations and comments: Note 1:  ( )
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