Home Acknowledgments Conventions Glossary Maps References Links Articles Thumbnails Species list Family Next species _______________   Additional Photos   dark	Aeolidiella cf. japonica Eliot, 1913   Maximum size:  30 mm (Kay, 1979). Identification:  This species is similar in appearance to Aeolidiella alba with bulbous swellings on its cerata. However, it differs from that species in having more cerata in each arc and is usually darker  in color. The body is cream, mottled with brown, particularly on the head. There are well-defined white tips on its cerata. Natural history:  Aeolidiella cf. japonica has been recorded from tide pools, solution benches and fringing reefs. (Kay, 1979) It was common on Oahu in the 1960s but has seldom been seen in recent years (Terry Gosliner, pers. com.). On Maui we've seen it only in Kahului Harbor at a depth of < 4 m (< 13 ft). Although it may contract its posterior cerata slightly, it does not erect them into a crest rhythmically in the manner of A. alba. A partial egg mass (disturbed while laying) took about five days to hatch in the laboratory. Distribution:  Maui and Oahu. Taxonomic notes:  This is the species listed as Spurilla japonica in Kay, 1979. It was first recorded in Hawaii by Allison Kay in the 1960s. Aeolidiella japonica from Japan show some differences from Hawaiian animals as illustrated in Kay, 1979. For a photo from Japan see the Takaoka Biological Club site. Photo:  CP: 14 mm: Kahului Harbor, Maui; Oct. 25, 2009. Observations and comments: Note 1:  ( )
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