Striped Phyllidopsis

Striped Phyllidopsis
Phyllidiopsis Xishaensis

Four fine black lines run lengthwise across the pale blue-white body, following the low rows of rounded tubercles and giving this tiny nudibranch an unusually clean, linear look. The stripes are not perfectly uniform, which keeps the pattern from feeling rigid, while the pale body lets every dark line stand out clearly. Small, restrained and remarkably graphic, it looks almost as though someone drew four careful strokes along its back.

• Size: Up to around 20 mm
• Range: Western Indo-Pacific, from the Philippines and Indonesia to southern Japan and Australia
• Habitat / Depth: Tropical reefs and rocky substrates, commonly around 5–20 m
• Diet: Sponges