Tag: nudibranch

A Nudi Party

The cave was huge, one of the largest I had ever seen on the Kona Coast. It was also thick with sponge, the ceiling inches deep in places… Perfect nudibranch habitat.

Pete found this group, a cluster of white margin nudibranch having a… uh… party? The results of the “party” can be seen in the center of the photo, small white, spiral egg masses.

The photo is actually upside down, the party was taking place on the ceiling.

White-Margin Nudibranch and Eggs
Several white-margin nudibranch (Glossodoris rufomarginata) apparently mating and laying eggs

Red Dendrodoris

It is not red.

Apparent the species can range in color from a pale gold, to a dark, almost black, red. I have seen this species a couple times now. The previous specimens I had found were the characteristic red, seeing this gold nudi I thought I had found something new to me.

But it is a red dendrodoris. This is a well known, but undescribed species that is found on island reefs. This fellow was in a cave at Horseshoe, depth about 35ft.

Red Dendrodoris
An undescribed species of Dendrodoris, depth 35ft on the Kohala Coast

Postcard from the Reef – Nudi Porn

Yes, I occasionally publish porn… Nudibranch porn.

Search engines must have fun with nudis. Just consider the website Nudi Pixel. A great website, I often use the photos to check my identification of a species. How many surfers hit upon the site looking for something totally different?

Varicose Phyllidia
A pair of varicose phyllidia (Phyllidia varicosa) at 35ft depth, Hoover’s Tower, most likely mating