Barnacles, yum!

  

Back in late June, someone kindly alerted me to the presence of some Onchidoris bilamellata over at Doran Beach.  I swung by and took a few quick photos.  I still need to go back to see if I might be able to get some better pictures, but I thought I'd share this one for now.  

Onchidoris is unusual among nudibranchs in that it feeds on barnacles (!).  The mottled brown-and-white nudibranch is in the top center of the photo.  In the bottom right you can also see a nice chiton (note the shell plates) next to the barnacles. 

I wrote about Onchidoris ~8 years ago, so for some more photos and a little more info, check out the post called "The barnacle-eaters" on 24 June 2014.

A little orange

  

A little orange to start your day!  This is a Cockerell's Dorid (Limacia cockerelli) nudibranch, photographed in the low intertidal zone on 10 February 2021.

A few more tips

 

Black-tipped Spiny Dorid (Acanthodoris rhodoceras), 16 July 2019. We've seen a few individuals of this nudibranch recently, all with this very dark coloration.  Note the two long rhinophores tipped with reddish-brown, and the prominent gill plume (it looks a bit like a flower).  There are also nice gold highlights along the edge of the mantle.  Thanks to Eric for spotting it!

P.S.  Interestingly, when we were seeing this species several years ago (in 2015), most of the individuals we found were much paler.  For an example (with video), see the post called "A few tips" on 6 June 2015.

Yellow highlights

 

A nice little nudibranch, Ancula gibbosa, photographed at Pinnacle Gulch on 5 July 2019.

Red, white, and orange

 

Three-lined Aeolid, Orienthella (formerly Flabellina) trilineata on coralline algae.  Photographed in a tidepool on 8 May 2019.

Out on the flats

Last September I posted about an interesting "sap-sucking sea slug" called Aplysiopsis enteromorphae.  The photographs accompanying that post were taken in the lab, but recently I encountered this species in the field, so here's a picture from the Bodega Harbor tidal flats:

 

This sea slug was ~20 mm long.  To learn more about this local species, check out the post called "One cell at a time" from 23 September 2017. 

P.S.  Related to last night's post, there are a couple of very small phoronids in the photo above (bottom center and top right).  I didn't notice them when I was trying to photograph Aplysiopsis traveling across the sand.  But when I was reviewing the photos, I saw these tiny phoronids emerging from the sand.  Fun!

Pink roses

 

Although there were more Hopkins' Rose (Okenia rosacea) nudibranchs around in 2015 and 2016, there are still some individuals present in the Bodega Bay area.  This one was photographed on 12 February 2017, when we spotted 8 others during a survey in the rocky intertidal zone.

For some background information about these nudibranchs, review the post from 3 January 2015.

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Happy Valentine's Day!  

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Pink branches and golden flecks

 

 

 

 

Quite something, isn't it?  

We think this is a Branched Dendronotus (Dendronotus venustus).  Usually this nudibranch (sea slug) is much darker in the Bodega Bay area.  This is our first time seeing such a pale individual.  

It was almost transparent, with the pinkish digestive gland showing through, and bright yellow spots everywhere — on the body, the oral tentacles, the rhinophores (sensory organs), and the cerata (branching appendages on the back).

Watch for these beautiful nudibranchs on rocky shores with lots of hydroids.

Side-gilled sea slug

Although expected to occur at Bodega Head based on range and habitat (low intertidal and subtidal rocky shores), this is the first time we've seen this intriguing mollusc.  It's Berthella californica, a side-gilled sea slug.  They're related to nudibranchs and sea hares, but are in a separate order called Notaspidea.  Although not visible, they have a small, flattened internal shell that is covered by the mantle.  This specimen was ~3 cm long.

A few things to look for in the photos: (1) a pair of rolled rhinophores (chemosensory organs, similar to antennae) — they were actively pulsating in the live animal, similar to a mouth opening and closing; (2) oral veil — leading edge, hammerhead-shaped; (3) foot — seen trailing behind; (4) gill — tip protruding from the back and right side of the animal; (5) distinct white spots throughout, and thin white border to mantle and foot.

 

 

 

[Note rolled rhinophore, above, and mouth-like rhinophore opening, below]

 

Top and bottom views of the gill tip, below.