The sea slug Tambja verconis It's tempting to think that this sea slug is mowing the lawn. But it's not feeding on a plant at all. Instead what it's grazing is the blue bryozoan Bugula dentata, a colonial filter-feeding animal that has a digestive system, nervous system and brain.
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Undescribed Trinchesia Previously recorded from the Poor Knights Islands in New Zealand and Victoria in Australia, this undescribed species of Trinchesia has distinctive corkscrew-like cerata and vivid scarlet markings.
Clown nudibranchs Clown nudibranchs (Ceratosoma amoenum) are one of the most common nudibranchs on the east coast of the far north of New Zealand. Individuals come together to copulate and may even form groups.
Flabellina albomarginata Flabellina albomarginata usually have orange cerata. The brown cerata on this specimen are likely to arise from the nudibranch eating a different hydroid food.
Doto sp. This undescribed species of Doto nudibranch from the Poor Knights Islands in New Zealand is characterised by violet-tipped cerata. It is quite small at around 6 millimetres in length and produces a bright yellow egg mass.
Have you seen this undescribed Trinchesia nudibranch? Taken on a night dive in Blue Maomao Arch at the Poor Knights Islands in New Zealand, these photographs have been reviewed by mollusc expert Dr Willan and this nudibranch is an undescribed species of Trinchesia - a new species to science.
Two individuals were discovered at a depth of about eight metres and appeared to be spawning, laying down a white egg coil. The specimens were approximately 30 millimetres long. Have you seen this nudibranch? Please email Alison@InspiredToDive.com. Babakina caprinsulensis Babakina caprinsulensis is a rare nudibranch that has only been documented in New Zealand. I thank mollusc-expert Dr Richard Willan for his identification of this species. He says that a distinctive feature of this nudibranch is the way that the rhinophores sit next to each other on top of the head, as though they were connected together.
Janolus ignis During the day Janolus ignis hides within clumps of the bryozoan Orthoscuticella aff. margaritacea. Emerging at night, it is one of the fastest moving nudibranchs I have encountered.
Introducing Dendrodoris krusensternii In August the distinctive creamy brown nudibranch with bulbous nodules and fluorescent blue spots, known in New Zealand by the common name Gem Nudibranch, underwent a name change from Dendrodoris denisoni to Dendrodoris krusensternii.
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