Pseudobiceros 18
photos: Kelvin Dale, Polo Beach, Maui. 14 ft.

Kelvin writes: I was diving at Polo Beach Maui today and caught photos of this in the water column at 14ft. .... It was about half the size of a pinky nail. I took these from my TG6 camera but the water had a bit of current.

The Newman & Cannon CD has one photo from Papua New Guinea of what appears to be the same worm, but of adult size. They write "Background body colour cream mottled with grey, black mottling toward the margin, then white and grey. Rim narrow, yellow. Pseudotentacles ear-like. Margin highly ruffled."

Since Kelvin's photos are presumably of a juvenile, the color could be expected to vary slightly from the above description. Juvenile status might also affect the amount of ruffling of the margin, which in any case would probably be reduced while the animal is swimming.

This is a rare worm. It seems to be known so far only from the one photo on the CD taken in Papua New Guinea and these photos from Hawai'i. Additional photos of this rare flatworm would be welcome. Some might be lurking out there online somewhere -- if you see one, please let me know!

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