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Additional Photos
on black
side
more brown
six lateral papillae
young, 5.5 mm
swimming
egg mass
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GALLERY
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Plocamopherus maculatus (Pease,
1860)
Maximum size: about 50 mm.
Identification:
This species is translucent-cream with light orange spots and white
flecks. Older animals develop brown patches. There are usually patches of darker orange on the mid-line of
the notum. There are two or three pairs of elongate lateral papillae
with
the posterior pair (near the branchia) usually tipped with pinkish
"balls." There is a central crest on the posterior portion of the
notum.
Natural history:
Plocamopherus maculatus
is a moderately common nocturnal animal found in moderately protected
to highly exposed rocky habitats at depths of < 1 to 15 m (< 3
to 49 ft). The lateral "balls" are bioluminescent and it can
swim by lateral flexing when disturbed. It lays a pink, spiral egg mass.
Distribution:
Big Island, Maui, Oahu, Kauai and French Frigate Shoals: widely
distributed in
the
Indo-Pacific.
Taxonomic notes:
This species is listed as Plocamopherus
tilesii in Bertsch and Johnson, 1981. It was first reported from
Hawaii in Pease, 1860 (as Histiophorus maculatus).
Photo: CP:
19 mm: Hekili Point, Maui; Nov. 7, 2007.
Observations and comments:
Note
1: ( )
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