The Painted Hypselodoris (Hypselodoris infucata) has a wide spread distribution throughout the waters of the world. It has been found in the waters of Thailand, Red Sea, Mediterranean, Indonesia and Australia. Hypselodoris infucata was one of the first Chromodoridae species to be described from a specimen collected in the Red Sea in the 1830’s. This species is very closely related to Hypselodoris obscura which is found along the New South Wales and southern Queensland coast. The difference between the two species is a consistent radula difference with the innermost tooth of Hypselodoris obscura being bicuspid while it is tricuspid in Hypselodoris infucata. It also is very similar in apperance to Hypselodoris saintvincentius, which is found in the waters of South Australia where it is common in some regions in the Gulf of St Vincent’s.
This species generally has a dark blue/black body that has lightly coloured speckles covering it. The rhinophores and gills are generally bright red in colour with light blue colouration at the base of the rhinophores. The Painted Hypselodoris (Hypselodoris infucata) grows to a maximum length of approximately 5cm.
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