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Kalinga ornata
Alder & Hancock, 1864
 
Kalinga ornata
Maximum size:  100 mm (Kay & Schoenberg-Dole, 1991).

Identification:  This is a large, flattened species with a tuberculate notum. The larger lateral tubercles are red, flecked with white and there are elongate velar appendages at the front of the head that are used as feelers. Background color varies from cream to gray.

Natural history:  Kalinga ornata is a sand dweller that has been photographed from HURL submersibles to depths of 182 m (597 ft). However, it may occasionally be found by divers in as little as 10 m (33 ft). It can inflate its body and drift with the current. (Sea Slug Forum) Mike Miller's Slug Site mentions that Rie Nakano and her collaborators have recorded it feeding on brittle stars in Tokyo Bay.

Distribution:  Big Island, Maui, Oahu and Molokai: widely distributed in the Indo-Pacific.

Taxonomic notes:  It may have been first reported from Hawaii in Kay and Schoenberg-Dole, 1991.

Photo:  Christy Coppolo: found by Lloyd Johnson; Makena Landing, Maui; Nov. 24, 2023.

Observations and comments:

Note 1:  ( )
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