Meet Pseudoceros luteus, a beautiful, graceful flatworm. This image is from Bodega Harbor, but I also received reports of them from Tomales Bay this year. Jarrett was the first one to alert me to this species in Bodega Harbor — perhaps around 2007? This year, Pseudoceros luteus seems much more common in the Harbor, perhaps due to warmer water conditions.
I was wondering about this flatworm's scientific name. I don't have access to a book of Latin names right now, so I'm just guessing that "Pseudoceros" means something like, "false horns." [Think about a different animal with a somewhat similar name = rhinoceros = "nose horn".]
But the next question would be —
where are this flatworm's "false horns"? Perhaps the name refers to the black tentacular flaps that stick up like small "horns" — they're more easily seen in the picture below.
Watch for these flatworms over the tidal flats or swimming by the docks.
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