Bullock's Hypselodoris (pink)

Hypselodoris bullockii is a species of colourful sea slug or dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Chromodorididae.

Description

It ranges in colour from a pale straw, or even white background to a deep purplish pink. There is usually a thin opaque white line at the mantle border, but some specimens have a reddish purple border. Typically the gills and rhinophores are yellow or orange with a basal pink or purplish band.

Distribution

Believed it is widespread in the central Indo-Pacific region.

Many records are incorrect as it has now been shown that at least eight species have been confused under this name in the past. The H. bullockii clade contains seven species, plus H. iba is a mimic of H. bullocki. Six of these can be found in the Philippines.

Hypselodoris apolegma is found throughout the western Pacific from Japan (Okinawa), the Philippines, Indonesia Malaysia (Sabah) whereas H. brycei, is found only in Western Australia (Houtman Abrolhos Islands to the Exmouth Region and Dampier Archipelago).

Hypselodoris bullockii is considered to be widespread in the western and central Pacific, from Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, eastern Australia, the Marshall Islands and New Caledonia, whereas H. melanesica is known only from Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, both of which are areas where H. bullockii is absent.

Hypselodoris rositoi is apparently restricted to the northern Philippines and H. violacea is apparently restricted to Sabah, Malaysia and Palawan Island, Philippines.

Hypselodoris variobranchia is apparently restricted to Japan (Okinawa), Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Queensland, Australia.