Scientific Name: Aldisa pikokai
Common Name: Pikoʻkai Aldisa (sometimes called the “Hawaiian red-spotted Aldisa”)

Adult Size: 8 – 20 mm
Depth Range: 5 – 35 m; most common on shaded reef faces and under ledges
Biotope / Habitat: Rocky or coral substrates encrusted with dark-red cryptic sponges, especially in surge channels and overhangs
Diet: Specialized feeder on red‐brown dorid sponges (Halichondria sp. and similar), from which it extracts pigments for camouflage
Reproduction: Simultaneous hermaphrodite; mates side-to-side and deposits a thin, orange-tinged ribbon of eggs in a loose spiral on or near its food sponge. Eggs hatch into planktonic veliger larvae before settling.
Fun Fact: Aldisa pikokai has two darker oval “saddle marks” on its back that mimic the inhalant pores of its sponge prey, helping it disappear in plain sight.

Tiny and chocolate-reddish, Aldisa pikokai is a master of disguise. Look for a smooth dorid with subtle red spots and twin dark patches; if you spot it at all, you’re already ahead of most divers!