Mystery Nudis from Coral Street, Monterey

Fish & Invertebrate sightings and descriptions, hosted by resident NWDC ID expert Janna Nichols (nwscubamom).
Post Reply
User avatar
dwashbur
I've Got Gills
Posts: 2849
Joined: Sun Jan 20, 2008 9:33 pm

Mystery Nudis from Coral Street, Monterey

Post by dwashbur »

If you get down here, go to Coral Street at high tide and have a blast. It's not deep, we didn't even break 30 feet, but we found more critters than we could count, including three new-to-us nudibranchs. I have some tentative ID's, but I'm looking for confirmation if possible. The Sea Slug Forum isn't accepting any new material right now, so here I is. It's been suggested that this first one is a baby Triopha maculata, and looking at the picture of a little one in Behrens/Hermosillo p. 66, I'm leaning that way. This guy was less than 1/3 the size of my little fingernail; we couldn't even see that he had the frontal veil until we were examining the pictures.
Image

Someone suggested that these next two are both Aldisa sanguinea. I can buy that for the first one, because there's a pic of one pretty much just like it on the Sea Slug Forum under that species. I'm not so sure about the second one, because the spots match, but the color is yellow rather than red and I haven't found any info about such a color variation. Hence, my cry for help:

Image

Image

On a side note, this second guy has just about the most unusual branchial plume I've ever seen, even in a book. That's really how he was carrying it, I watched him for close to a full minute and he wasn't pulling it in. Also, that is the actual color, I haven't monkeyed with it.

There are more pix of all these guys, along with lots of other critters we found at Coral Street, at
http://s205.photobucket.com/albums/bb13 ... 8/?start=0
Dave

"Clearly, you weren't listening to what I'm about to say."
--
Check out my Internet show:
http://www.irvingszoo.com
User avatar
whatevah
Aquanaut
Posts: 665
Joined: Thu Jan 03, 2008 12:54 am

Re: Mystery Nudis from Coral Street, Monterey

Post by whatevah »

dwashbur wrote:If you get down here, go to Coral Street at high tide and have a blast. It's not deep, we didn't even break 30 feet, but we found more critters than we could count, including three new-to-us nudibranchs. I have some tentative ID's, but I'm looking for confirmation if possible. The Sea Slug Forum isn't accepting any new material right now, so here I is. It's been suggested that this first one is a baby Triopha maculata, and looking at the picture of a little one in Behrens/Hermosillo p. 66, I'm leaning that way. This guy was less than 1/3 the size of my little fingernail; we couldn't even see that he had the frontal veil until we were examining the pictures.
Image
I have pictures of a teeny little nudibranch just like yours from my trip to Monterey earlier in the year. The concensus among all the REEF folks and Dr Steve from the Aquarium was that it was a baby Triopha maculata - so I think you're right on.

Did you dive at Monastary yet? Monastary Beach North was my favorite shore dive there - it is awesome.
“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.” -- John Muir
User avatar
dwashbur
I've Got Gills
Posts: 2849
Joined: Sun Jan 20, 2008 9:33 pm

Re: Mystery Nudis from Coral Street, Monterey

Post by dwashbur »

We've been to Monastery south but not north yet. As you doubtless know, conditions have to be just right to go there, and we haven't matched up with the right times yet.
Dave

"Clearly, you weren't listening to what I'm about to say."
--
Check out my Internet show:
http://www.irvingszoo.com
User avatar
Dusty2
I've Got Gills
Posts: 6388
Joined: Wed Mar 21, 2007 9:04 pm

Re: Mystery Nudis from Coral Street, Monterey

Post by Dusty2 »

I checked out the album, Really awesome stuff! You have come a long way Grasshopper.
User avatar
dwashbur
I've Got Gills
Posts: 2849
Joined: Sun Jan 20, 2008 9:33 pm

Re: Mystery Nudis from Coral Street, Monterey

Post by dwashbur »

Dusty2 wrote:I checked out the album, Really awesome stuff! You have come a long way Grasshopper.
Thank you, sensei =D> Actually, the albums for the past month or so are a three-fer: Daughter Chenari on the Canon A630, wife Kathy on a Casio Exilim Z1050, and me still using the old Pentax Optio S5i and loving it \:D/ We've all come a long way.
Dave

"Clearly, you weren't listening to what I'm about to say."
--
Check out my Internet show:
http://www.irvingszoo.com
Post Reply