Hopkins' Rose Nudibranch
Ceratodoris rosacea
Their intense pink coloration comes from a pigment called hopkinsiaxanthin, which they steal from their bryozoan prey.
- Scientific name
- Ceratodoris rosacea
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Mollusca › Gastropoda › Nudibranchia › Goniodorididae › Ceratodoris
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- aquatic
- Habitat
- Rocky intertidal zones, tide pools, and shallow rocky reefs.
- Diet
- Encrusting bryozoans, particularly the pink Integrifila caliciiformis.
- Range
- Pacific Coast of North America, California, Oregon, Baja California
- Size
- 1.5 to 2.5 cm in length
- Lifespan
- Up to 1 year
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Ocean warming, ocean acidification, coastal pollution, and physical trampling by tidepool visitors.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. These nudibranchs are extremely delicate. Do not touch, pick up, or remove them from their tide pool. Observe them closely from above the water without disturbing their rocky substrate.
Hopkin's rose nudibranch is a species of sea slug, specifically a dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Goniodorididae. Previously known as Okenia rosacea , this species was reclassified as Ceratodoris rosacea in 2024.
Photo: Ken-ichi Ueda, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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