Home Acknowledgments Conventions Glossary Maps References Links Articles Thumbnails Species list Family Next species _______________   Additional Photos   crawling   underside   egg mass _______________   GALLERY	Noumea sp. #4   Maximum size:  21 mm. Identification:  This species has a cream-white body that is typically pale peach medially, more so as the animal grows in size. An opaque white stripe in the center of the notum is almost always continuous and a magenta line encircles the mantle inside the white mantle margin. The rhinophore lamellae are orange, becoming red-orange near the tips, and the gills are translucent with orange on the outer edges. It can be distinguished from Noumea varians by its unbroken white mid-dorsal line and its orange-tipped rhinophores and gills. Natural history:  Noumea sp. #4 is a moderately rare species typically found on rocky bottoms, either in the open or on shaded walls, at depths of 3-26 m (10-85 ft). It occurs at moderately exposed to highly exposed sites and appears to feed on a dark gray sponge that is often difficult to see due to other invertebrate growth. On a few occasions several animals have been observed on a host sponge for over two months, frequently huddled next to each other. The spiral egg mass is white and a 13 mm animal laid a 6 mm diameter mass that hatched in about seven days in the laboratory. Distribution:  Big Island, Maui, Oahu and French Frigate Shoals. Taxonomic notes:  This species was listed as Thorunna gloriosa (Bergh, 1874) in Bertsch and Johnson, 1981 (top photo) and was first recorded in Hawaii from Pupukea, Oahu by Scott Johnson on March 22, 1978. Photo:  John, Mike & Dan Cesere: 17 mm; resting pair: Molokini Islet, Maui; July 24, 2008. Observations and comments: Note 1:  ( )
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