Home Acknowledgments Conventions Glossary Maps References Links Articles Thumbnails Species list Family Next species _______________   Additional Photos   bright   dark pigment   young, 5 mm   egg mass _______________   GALLERY	Elysia flava Verrill, 1901   Maximum size:  22 mm. Identification:  This species has moderately tall parapodia that meet in a frilly margin. There are widely scattered papillae that become much more prominent on the parapodial margin. It is usually bright yellow with minute rust-brown flecks, scattered white spots, and a white marginal band on the parapodia. Some animals, however, have dark  interior pigment. (Note 1) The white pigment is usually more prominent in larger individuals. Natural history:  Elysia flava is a moderately rare plakobranchid found on shallow rocky bottoms. It occurs in highly protected to moderately protected locations from the low intertidal to depths of 1.5 m (5 ft). Mature animals are nocturnally active. The lack of consistent dark pigment suggests that it does not store chloroplasts. A 7.5 mm animal laid a tightly coiled, pale orange egg mass. It had evenly spaced "knobs" on the outer surface of the outer whorls that were filled with dark orange extra-capsular yolk. Hatching occurred in about seven days in the laboratory. The extra-capsular yolk remained in the egg mass after hatching. Distribution:   Maui, Oahu and French Frigate Shoals: circumtropical Taxonomic notes:   Some authors use Elysia obtusa Baba, 1938 for the Indo-Pacific population. See the Sea Slug Forum for further discussion. It was first recorded in Hawaii from Hekili Point, Maui by CP on May 9, 1992 and was named for its bright yellow color. Photo:   CP: 7.5 mm: Hekili Point, Maui; April 16, 2006. Observations and comments: Note 1:  An animal with dark pigment changed to "all yellow" after laying eggs suggesting that the dark color may be due to some compound involved in egg laying (a precursor to the extra-capsular yolk?) rather than retained chloroplasts. (see photos)
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