Caribbean Spanish Dancer

Identification

Look for an orange-to-red body, often mottled with lighter orange, yellow or cream. Some individuals have white speckling, especially around the mantle skirt. The two rhinophores on the head and the exposed, branching gills toward the rear are useful features to photograph. Color varies, so red coloration alone is not enough for identification.

Adults have a broad mantle that can roll along the sides, a bumpy back when resting and six bushy gill branches. A 2023 taxonomic review describes animals commonly reaching 12 cm, with some reports to 20 cm. This is a different species from Indo-Pacific Spanish dancers; do not apply their size claims to this animal.

Range and habitat

This species inhabits the tropical western Atlantic and Caribbean. Published records include the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe, several other Caribbean islands and parts of the Caribbean mainland coast. It is associated with reefs and can shelter beneath rocks or coral debris.

West Palm Beach observation

Spanish dancers have been reported by a local diver in West Palm Beach; species identification has not been independently confirmed. This report is not evidence that Hexabranchus morsomus is common or regularly encountered locally. A clear photograph would help distinguish this nudibranch from swimming sea hares, which are also sometimes called Spanish dancers.

Behavior and reproduction

Swimming involves bending the body and undulating the mantle. Egg ribbons are relatively low, loosely coiled and dull red. Published work suggests a varied diet, including sponges, but its feeding ecology should not be treated as fully resolved.

Observe responsibly

Watch and photograph without touching, moving or provoking the animal to swim. Maintain good buoyancy and leave its habitat undisturbed. Florida regulates nudibranchs and sea slugs within its marine-life harvest rules. Check current FWC requirements and site-specific restrictions before considering collection. This guide does not establish permission to collect at any site.

Name and sources

The accepted scientific name is Hexabranchus morsomus. Some older references use Caribranchus morsomus. No individual photograph or verified West Palm Beach photograph is supplied here.

• World Register of Marine Species: accepted name
• 2023 taxonomic review of Hexabranchus
• Australian Museum Sea Slug Forum: identification
• DORIS: Caribbean species account
• University of Barcelona research
• Common-name confusion with sea hares
• FWC marine-life regulations

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