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Philippines · Indo Pacific - South China Sea
A chromodorid nudibranch described in 2018 by Gosliner & Johnson from Batangas, Philippines. Its name refers to the variable gill colour, which may be orange or purple.
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Deep purple body encircled by a thick, solid opaque white band around the mantle margin. Rhinophores are bright orange; the gill branches are either deep orange or purple, arising from a purple gill pocket. There are no mantle glands along the margin.
Hypselodoris rositoi is pink rather than purple; H. violacea has purple, not orange, rhinophores; some colour forms of H. iba look similar but have mantle glands.
Tropical coral reefs, about 10–30 m.
Like other Hypselodoris, feeds on sponges.
