New records of nudibranchs and a cephalaspid from Kuwait, northwestern Arabian Gulf (Mollusca, Heterobranchia) Author Nithyanandan, Manickam https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0582-8344 Ecosystem Based Management of Marine Resources, Environment and Life Sciences Research Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, P. O. Box. 1638, Salmiya 22017, Kuwait nandan.ocean@gmail.com Author Al-Kandari, Manal https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0073-7929 Ecosystem Based Management of Marine Resources, Environment and Life Sciences Research Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, P. O. Box. 1638, Salmiya 22017, Kuwait Author Mantha, Gopikrishna https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7200-5105 Ecosystem Based Management of Marine Resources, Environment and Life Sciences Research Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, P. O. Box. 1638, Salmiya 22017, Kuwait text ZooKeys 2021 2021-07-13 1048 91 107 http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1048.66250 journal article http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1048.66250 1313-2970-1048-91 8437650994504B55AFABD7414079B51D 8F66AFC800D45491BC9D5813B128DAA5 Hypselodoris infucata ( Rueppell & Leuckart, 1830) Figure 6A, B Doris infucata Rueppell & Leuckart, 1828-1830: tab X, 34, fig. 3 (northern African Red Sea). Photographic record. SAASC, Al Khiran, 2 July 2013, two individuals photographed at 3 m depth on a rock culvert, R. Dinesh Kumar. Description. The two individuals in the photographs have a slender white body with blue, yellow, and black spots scattered all over. At the mantle margin, triangular dark blue-green and pale blue patches alternate (Fig. 6A ), and bright yellow spots are scattered on both the dorsum and foot. The rhinophores are bright orange-red and the core is white. The oral tentacles are bright orange-red at the midrib and tip (Fig. 6A ). A row of prominent dark blue blotches occurs on the either side at the edge of dorsum. Figure 6. A Hypselodoris infucata ( Rueppell & Leuckart, 1830) B colour morph. Arrows indicate alternate dark blue-green and pale blue triangles, a diagnostic feature of this species. Photograph R. Diniesh Kumar. Distribution. Indo-West Pacific species and a Lessepsian migrant ( Rudman 1977 ; Yonow 2008 ), Oman, South Africa, Philippines, Australia ( Debelius 1996 ), Madagascar, Bali, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Hawaii ( Johnson and Valdes 2001 ; Gosliner et al. 2008 ), Gulf of Kutch and Lakshadweep, India ( Apte 2009 ; Apte et al. 2010 ), Larak and Lavan islands, Iran ( Rezai et al. 2016 ), Mozambique ( Tibirica et al. 2017 ), Pakistan (Gul, 2019), Thailand ( Mehrotra et al. 2021 ), and Kuwait (this study). Remarks. This species exhibits a high degree of variability in colour pattern and the bright yellow spots observed in the individual during the present study was similar to a specimen recorded from Eilat, northern Red Sea ( Ben Tov 2003 ). A second colour morph (Fig. 6B ) was also recorded with triangular blue grey patches on the either side of the dorsum as illustrated in Yonow (2008) . Hypselodoris infucata can be easily confused with H. kanga Rudman, 1977 due to morphological similarities ( Rudman 2007 ; Mehrotra et al. 2021 ). In H. infucata the gills are rather simple with a bright red line on the outer and inner edges, whereas in H. kanga , they are triangular with three lines and, distinctively, with white or yellow spots in-between ( Rudman 2007 ). Bluish purple lines usually occur in the dorsum of H. kanga ( Mehrotra et al. 2021 ); however, individuals observed in this study only have dark blue or black spots. Hypselodoris infucata differs externally from another congener, H. roo Gosliner & Johnson in Epstein et al. 2018 , in not having a white spot at the base of the rhinophores on the posterior side and a broad posterior portion of the notum ( Epstein et al. 2018 ). A new record to Kuwait.