Pseudobiceros ferrugineus (Fuchsia flatworm)

Identification

Deed (fuchsia) red colored flatworm with a narrow, yellow colored margin. Red color is the first to disappear below the surface, so it may appear purple, unless you use a light. Between the central body and the marginal band, a darker band may show. The center of the body contains a dense concentration of fine white spots.

Status

Unassessed by the IUCN Red list. Only locally found, quite rare.

Habitat

It can be found in parts of the Western Central Pacific, such as the Philippines, New Guinea, Hawaii and Eastern Australia. It can be found in coral rich areas, usually around colonial ascidians, in a depth range of 0-30 meters.

Reproduction

Size

Up to 8cm.

Prey / Predation

It feeds on colonial ascidians.

Special features

Flatworms are commonly mistaken for nudibranchs. Flatworms however are much thinner and their margins tend to be more folded. This species was renamed Pseudobiceros, but it appears as Pseudoceros in many books and websites.