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This species has been observed on Reunion, Mayotte, Madagascar and Seychelles

Order : Nudibranchia Suborder : Euctenidiacea Superfamily : Doridoidea Family : Chromodorididae Distribution : Tropical Indo-West Pacific and Mediterranean Maximal size : 50 mm Abundance : (Run) Seldom if ever on the fore reef zone Species characteristics : This species is characterized by the blue or greeny blue or dusky grey background colour with an assortiment of differently sized dark blue to black and yellow spots The gills are simple and are white with an orange-red rachis The rhinophores have a white stalk, the lamellae being bright orange with a white core
	Showing species characteristics...	Photo Philibert Bidgrain Mayotte, Sakouli, less 1 m, 20 October 2008, size : 15-20 mm

See more about : Sightening and mating periods

Remarks

Identification confirmed by Nathalie Yonow
    It is a well-known Indo West-Pacific visitor to the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal. We call these animals lessepsian migrants. The term lessepsian, is derived from Ferdinand De Lesseps who designed and led the team that built the Suez Canal, thus linking the Red Sea with the Mediterranean. Some of these introductions seem to be permanent, some short-lived.
    A quite variable species. Throughout the Indo-West Pacific various names have been given to this kind of specimens depending on the relative size of the yellow and blue spots... Only on species or many species ???
    Synonymous (according worms) :
          - Chromodoris diardii, (Kelaart, 1859)
          - Chromodoris runcinata, Bergh, 1877
          - Chromodoris semperi, Bergh, 1877
          - Doris infucata, Rüppell & Leuckart, 1830
          - Glossodoris runcinata, (Bergh, 1877)

Bibliographic data :

A distinctive feature of this species is a symmetrical serie of large diamond-shaped dark bluish-green patches along each side of the mantle. They are formed from a darkening of the ground colour of the mantle and a lower density of blue and yellow spots in this area. These patches are constant in many specimens...
    In some specimen, there is on the mantle a row of dark blue spots around the edge, and an inner row of yellow spots. The rest of the mantle has large yellow spots and small dark blue spots.
    Juveniles often have no dark blue specks and their yellow patches are relatively large.
    The spawn consist of a white coil and the free edge is wavy
    This species looks like H. kanga but :
            - in H. kanga the gills are triangular in cross section and the outer face, which is without gill leaflets has a series of yellow spots. In H. infucata the gills are two-sided in cross-section, with a thin red line along the internal and external edge

References :

Bill Rudman Seaslug site : Sea Slug Forum : Hypselodoris infucata
   Nudipixel Hypselodoris infucata

Publications :

Çevik C. and Öztürk B., 2001. A new lessepsian mollusc Hypselodoris infucata (Rüppell and Leuckart, 1830 (Gastropoda: Nudibranchia) for the coasts of Turkey. Turkish Journal of Zoology , 25: 27-30
    Johnson R.F. & Gosliner T.M. (2012) Traditional taxonomic groupings mask evolutionary history: A molecular phylogeny and new classification of the chromodorid nudibranchs. PLoS ONE 7(4): e33479
    Rudman, W.B. (1977) Chromodorid opisthobranch Mollusca from East Africa and the tropical West Pacific. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 61 : 351-397.
    Rüppell, E. & Leuckart, F.S. (1830 or 31) Neue wirbellose Thiere des Rothen Meeres. Atlas zu der Reise im nördlichen Afrika von Eduard Rüppell . Brunner, Frankfurt am Main. 23-50, pls 7-12
    Yonow, N. (2001) Results of the Rumphius Biohistorical Expedition to Ambon (1990). Part 11. Doridacea of the families Chromodorididae and Hexabranchidae (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Opisthobranchia, Nudibranchia), including additional Moluccan material. Zoologische Mededelingen uitgegeven Rijks Museum van Natuurlijke Historie te Leiden 75: 1-50.

Other photos of Hypselodoris infucata :

Philibert Bidgrain          Mayotte, Mtsanga Jimaweni, less 1 m, 26 July 2006, size : 30 mm

A distinctive feature of this species is a symmetrical serie of large diamond-shaped dark bluish-green patches (a) along each side of the mantle. In H. infucata the gills are simple, two-sided in cross-section, with a thin red line along the internal (b) and external (c) edge This Hypselodoris is characterized by an assortiment of differently sized dark blue to black and yellow spots

Emmanuelle Aigle Mayotte, Bandrele, 5 m, 19 November 2009 The rhinophores have a white stalk (a) , the lamellae being bright orange (b) with a white core

Sophie Darnis Reunion, Barge of Saint Paul, 22 m, 4 April 2010, size : 30 mm A specimen with the symmetrical serie of large diamond-shaped dark bluish-green patches along each side of the mantle. And large yellow spots

Alain-Benoît Rassat Madagascar, Olaf, 20 m, 12 March 2016, size : 25 mm

Madagascar, Hypselodoris infucata at Nosy Tanikely, by Hugues Flodrops