Home Acknowledgments Conventions Glossary Maps References Links Articles Thumbnails Species list Family Next species _______________   Additional Photos   rhinophores   branchia   marginal patches	Platydoris sanguinea Bergh, 1905   Maximum size:  47 mm. (Kay & Young, 1969) Identification:  This is a firm, flattened dorid. The notum is blotchy-red with lighter marginal patches and a surface that is finely granular. The sparsely branched branchia are cream with brown highlights. The rhinophores are red (often with white tips in older animals). Natural history:  Platydoris sanguinea is probably known from only two animals. The first was found on a reef flat at a moderately exposed site. The  second was found at 11 m (35 ft) at an exposed site. It was crawling on sand, at night. Distribution:  Big Island and Oahu: widely distributed in the Pacific. Taxonomic notes:  It was probably first reported in Hawaii in Kay & Young, 1969 (as "Platydoris sp.") and first found at Ala Moana, Oahu, in December 1961. (Note 1) Photo:  Jacques Delorme: 7-10 mm; white spots on side are sand grains: Puako, Big Island; Aug. 30, 2023. Observations and comments: Note 1:  Kay and Young describe the external appearance of their animal as follows: "The animal is oval, rigid and granular to the touch; the mantle is thin and slightly irregular around the foot. The mantle is dark orange-red, mottled with irregular patches of white; it is ornamented by minute granules. The rhinophores are small and inconspicuous, orange with white tips. There are 8 feathery branchiae, orange on the rachis and base, with gray pinnae. The foot is narrow, and light orange-red." This is a fairly good match for the appearance of a more mature P. sanguinea (although there remains some uncertainty about lumping...).
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