Seeing stripes

  

Abby spotted a couple of very nice invertebrates in Marin County last week.  

First, this beautiful flatworm (above), meet Eurylepta californica!  Note the maroon streaks on the white background, and the red patches at the base of the tentacles (the two tentacles are upright, but pointing downward, in the lower right corner).  This species is more often found from Monterey south.  There aren't many northern records, and observations at higher latitudes might be associated with warm-water years.

Similarly, the nudibranch Polycera atra is more common south of Point Reyes.  We've seen it in Bodega Harbor, and it's been documented as far north as British Columbia, but the northern records might be more frequent during El Niño years.

 

 

It's a good time to remain vigilant for marine invertebrates associated with warm water.  Many thanks to Abby for documenting these handsome species and for sharing her beautiful photos!