Hedgpeth'S Dorid

Polycera hedgpethi is widely distributed in temperate and subtropical waters worldwide, but it remains a cryptogenic species with an uncertain native range.

Polycera hedgpethi was first described from California, US, and it occurs commonly in the northeast Pacific, including in Mexico and Panama. It is also widely distributed in Australia, with an expanding range along the east coast. Polycera hedgpethi also occurs in Costa Rica, New Zealand, Morocco, Angola, South Africa, Japan, South Korea, and northern Spain, as well as in the Mediterranean Sea. It is considered invasive in Oceania, Africa, and the Mediterranean

Polycera hedgpethi feeds primarily on the bryozoans Bugula neritina, which is also a widely distributed invasive. Despite its expanding range and invasive status, P. hedgpethi is generally considered to be a benign invader, having no negative ecological impacts on recipient ecosystems.