Nudibranch Lovers

[chris_the_brit]

@MaxBottomtime - good to have met you too. Sorry the vis turned on you, hopefully you still managed to snap a few nice pics.
@macado - thanks, O. muricata looks like a promising candidate. I'll check my books again later...

 

[MaxBottomtime]

@chris_the_brit, I think your mystery nudi is Adalaria proxima.

 

[Hoag]

These pics are amazing and I have loved going through this thread but I have a stupid question.

I have never seen a nudi, or maybe I just didn't recognize one if I did see it, but how big are they? Would I be looking for something the size of a grain of rice, or maybe a couple inches or the size of a sea cucumber? I honestly have no clue and so like I said, I might have looked right at one in the past and not seen it.

Thanks.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

The orange peel nudis can get the size of footballs but some of my favorites range from two inches down to "what's that tiny speck on that rock"?

 

[macado]

Basically what MaxBottomtime said. Some can be tiny like pieces of rice while others I've seen 2-5 inches long. Part of it is knowing where to look and going slow. A lot of the ones in my pictures are about 1-2 inches.

A lot of people are going so fast looking for big things that they never notice the small things. There is a wall I dive where I swear I never move more than 50ft the entire dive and ended up finding about 7 different species of nudibranchs.

 

[Searcaigh]

This Goniodoridella savignyi was about 5mm

While the Spanish Dancer (Hexabranchus sanguineus) can be up to 60cm

 

[T.C.]

I have never seen a nudi, or maybe I just didn't recognize one if I did see it, but how big are they? Would I be looking for something the size of a grain of rice, or maybe a couple inches or the size of a sea cucumber? I honestly have no clue and so like I said, I might have looked right at one in the past and not seen it.

May I suggest you ask a few divers on your next trip if they are looking for or experienced in finding nudibranchs. They're quite popular, and many divers can point one out. Look for the divers with cameras.

Once you've seen a few in your local ocean, you'll find them much easier. A good place to start is also a book or two about nudibranchs. I recommend "Nudibranch Behavior" by David Behrens. Learning their behavior and the basic forms of nudibranchs (Aeolid, Dorid, Dendronotid, Arminid). And the next time you go on a vacation, research the nudibranchs in the area, and you may have an easier time spotting them.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Just parachuted in from two weeks at God's Pocket. Great visibility made nudi hunting very easy. I found a couple species to add to my list and even found three Acanthodoris pilosa that were giants for their kind, about three inches. The tailing pair was shot with a 15mm lens.

Tritonia festiva with Gersemia rubiformis

Rostanga pulchra

Himatina trophina

Hermissenda crassicornis

Janolus fuscus

Eubranchus sanjuanensis

Eubranchus rustyus

Dirona albolineata

Dendronotus rufus

Dendronotus albus

Acanthodoris nanaimoensis on a sea cucumber

Acanthodoris nanaimoensis with eggs

Acanthodoris pilosa

Tochuina gigantea, yet another name change.

 

[Trailboss123]

Just parachuted in from two weeks at God's Pocket. Great visibility made nudi hunting very easy. I found a couple species to add to my list and even found three Acanthodoris pilosa that were giants for their kind, about three inches. The tailing pair was shot with a 15mm lens.

View attachment 458218
Tritonia festiva with Gersemia rubiformis

View attachment 458219
Rostanga pulchra

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Himatina trophina

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Hermissenda crassicornis

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View attachment 458223
Janolus fuscus

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Eubranchus sanjuanensis

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Eubranchus rustyus

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Dirona albolineata

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Dendronotus rufus

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Dendronotus albus

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Acanthodoris nanaimoensis on a sea cucumber

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Acanthodoris nanaimoensis with eggs

View attachment 458232

View attachment 458233
Acanthodoris pilosa

View attachment 458234
Tochuina gigantea, yet another name change.

Outstanding! Thanks for posting!

 

[BenjaminF]

Not on the same level as @MaxBottomtime, but here are some which I found on a recent trip to the western side of Cyprus (Latchi and Paphos):