09/05/2026
After clumsily taking a video of this same nudi while fighting some very unhelpful current, I watched as the poor guy could no longer hold on and was whisked away onto the sand! After failing to get a useful shot of it's less than glamorous fall from it's perch, I was able to catch up with it in the sand.
Flabellina exoptata, also known as the desirable flabellina or Coryphellina exoptata, is a brightly colored species of nudibranch found throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific region. This small marine sea slug is admired for its vivid purple, pink, and orange coloration, along with its finger-like cerata that line its back. It usually lives on coral reefs and rocky substrates where hydroids, its primary food source, are abundant. Like many nudibranchs, it can absorb the stinging cells of its prey and reuse them as a defense mechanism against predators. Typically growing up to about 3–5 cm long, Flabellina exoptata is especially popular among underwater photographers and divers because of its striking appearance and delicate movements.
