Nudibranch (pronounced noo-dee-brank) comes from Latin nudus meaning "naked", and Greek brankhia meaning "gills". It is a shell-less sea-slug and have no less than 1,000 species identified to date.
A pair of Chomodoris 'something' mating.Monday 7/May 2007 - Contribution by Anon:
Possibly an orange colored variation of Chromodoris colemani
"Dejected" nudi heading under the rock to drown its sorrows. Just kidding. This was shot during another dive and has slightly different markings.
Pteraeolidia ianthina is one of a group of remarkable aeolid nudibranchs which are way ahead of man in harnessing solar energy. Pteraeolidia has evolved a method of capturing and farming microscopic plants (zooxanthelle) in its own body. The plants flourish in this protected environment and as they convert the sun's energy into sugars, they pass a significant proportion on to the nudibranch for its own use.
Cadlinella ornatissima
Monday 7/May, 2007 - Many thanks to Anon for providing the identification for this nudie.
I am going to tell my wife I was in here looking at nudi photos! LOL, Nice pics.
ReplyDeleteHi Nick! Thanks for dropping by and your kind comments. I'm sure this is one 'nudi' your wife would not mind you looking at ;-)
ReplyDeletegorgeous set of "naked gills"! what striking colors...
ReplyDeleteI love nudis .. it i s always such a thrill to be able to spot them. Lovely lovely photos
ReplyDeleteDivemuster!! Goodness gracious...the things you get to see!! Love the skinnydippers( you know, the one's that like to swim in the nude...heehee! They are cute and colorful!
ReplyDeleteLuv from Texas!,
Countrygirl
The last one is obviously Cadlinella ornatissima but the first one... is apparently still not "officially
ReplyDelete" identified as far as I know. It could be either a orange form of Chromodoris colemani or completely different species. It would appear that this orange variation has been found a lot in Malaysian or nearby waters. Hmm... interesting. I haven't seen one yet though. Anyway beautiful photos! Especially gobies... I admire your patience. Love Metallic shrimp goby!
Hi Sandra!
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping in. Glad you enjoyed the pics as much as I enjoyed shooting them. Look forward to the next trip and hope to get another load of "skinny-dippers" ;-)
Hi Anon!
Thanks for contributing the ID of the nudies. Much appreciated :)