Miamira moloch (Rudman, 1988)

Some species show an amazing degree of variation. Miamira moloch may be one of those. This variant was presented in Nudibranch and Sea Slug Identification as Miamira sp. Brother Brancher Terry Gosliner now believes that Vic Smith's photo on page 268 of the book is one of the many color forms of M. moloch - we could have filled an entire page with examples of the many color forms.

When identifying nudibranch it is always best to look for consistencies rather than differences. In this case all the variants of M. moloch have nodular appendages at the tips of the body ridges, as seen here in Mike's photo. These features are almost always pinkish-orange in color, resembling sponges. In some specimens the notum has the texture resembling the speculated surface of a sponge.

What a beautiful creature.