
Blood Spot Nudibranch
Ardeadoris cruenta
- Usual depth5–20 m
- Water temperature23–29 °C
- Best monthsMay
- How commonRare
Photo credit: (c) Georgina Jones, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist
About this species
Ardeadoris cruenta is a species of very colourful sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Chromodorididae. Its name is derived from the feminine form of the Latin word cruentus, which means "stained with blood" and is a reference to the red spots on its upper dorsum. It was transferred to the genus Ardeadoris on the basis of DNA evidence.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Ardeadoris cruenta”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
Loading the map
Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 21 records
- February: 7 records
- March: 18 records
- April: 21 records
- May: 38 records
- June: 19 records
- July: 9 records
- August: 9 records
- September: 11 records
- October: 13 records
- November: 14 records
- December: 7 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 5–20 m · Deepest record: 28 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 23–29 °C
Photos

(c) Dan Schofield, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Dan Schofield, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Ryan McMinds, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
Names and classification
- English
- Blood Spot Nudibranch, Blood-spotted Glossodoris Nudibranch, Bloody Glossodoris
Names in 2 more languages
- French
- Doris ensanglantée, Glossodoris sanglant
- Japanese
- アカテンイロウミウシ
Other scientific names: Glossodoris cruenta
Similar species
White-centred Rainbow DoridArdeadoris angustolutea


Slender ceratosoma nudibranchCeratosoma gracillimum
Elongate Pantechnicon DoridCeratosoma tenue
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 133 open-data records from 1975 to 2026.
- Species data updated October 26, 2026.
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