Fuchsia Flatworm

Fuchsia Flatworm
Pseudoceros Ferrugineus

A broad wash of vivid fuchsia covers this flatworm, scattered with countless tiny white speckles that become denser toward the center of its back. A deep red band runs around the outer edge, finished with a narrow line of orange-yellow, while the softly ruffled margins give its otherwise flattened body a little movement. Two simple folds at the front form subtle pseudotentacles, making this unusually bright flatworm look almost too flamboyant to hide among the reef rubble.

• Size: Up to around 45 mm, with some records reaching approximately 60 mm
• Range: Tropical Indo-Pacific; from the western Indian Ocean and East Africa through Indonesia, the Philippines and Australia to Micronesia and Hawaii
• Habitat / Depth: Coral reefs, reef slopes and rubble areas, typically from around 1–15 m
• Diet: Feeds primarily on colonial ascidians and other sea squirts