About Nembrotha purpureolineata O'Donoghue, 1924
Nembrotha purpureolineata is a large pale-bodied dorid nudibranch. While its base body color is creamy white, most of this color is hidden by a large brown patch that covers most of its notum. Brown stripes typically run along the sides of the body, and a brown band circles the head and anterior portion of the mantle. Its rhinophores range in color from red to orange-red. The edge of its foot is usually purple, though this purple marking can be quite faint. This species can grow to a total length of 120 mm. Nembrotha purpureolineata is easily confused with two other species: Nembrotha aurea and Nembrotha chamberlaini. All three species share a similar range of color variation, but Nembrotha aurea often has orange patches that are not present in Nembrotha purpureolineata. This nudibranch is distributed in the western part of the tropical Indo-West Pacific Ocean. Ecologically, this species feeds on ascidians and tunicates. It has been observed feeding on the yellow-lined ascidian, Clavelina meridionalis.
