Creek Trail & Toyon Trail - Hidden Villa Preserve, Santa Clara County, California.
feeding on Woolly Indian Paintbrush which is the hostplant for Leanira Checkerspot
Dondice occidentalis with eggs was located on a hydroid mat in a channel at a depth of approximately 10 feet. Length was not measured. Water temperature was 69 degrees F.
Aeolid Nudibranch found on the oyster raceways (800 micron) filter bag. Matanzas river. Size: 6mm x 1 mm. Water temperature 18.3 degrees C.Salinity 34 ppt
Juvenile, found in the rain near the type locality for this species. The closeup of a shell found nearby shows the reticulate pattern on the first whorl that is characteristic of Sonorelix.
Found in intertidal pools, during searches by R. Burn, A. Falconer and L. Altoff. Identified by R. Burn.
Holotype (CASIZ 182590), 33 mm long as shown here, on which Terry Gosliner based his 2010 description of this species (as Flabellina goddardi). I found it on a calm and bright overcast morning crawling in the open in a low intertidal pool at Tar Pits Reef. The 2nd image shows the egg mass, 14 mm in diameter, laid by this individual on 10 May 2008. The uncleaved zygotes averaged 65 microns in diameter, were packed one per capsule, and took 7 days at an average of 16 degrees C to develop into hatching planktotrophic veligers. The 3rd image shows, in right ventro-lateral view, one of the veligers just prior to hatching and with a shell 105 microns long.
Unlike most specimens of this species observed subtidally, individuals found intertidally vary in possession of white lines on the body and cephalic tentacles from completely absent (as in this specimen) to incomplete, to complete. With those white lines, subtidal specimens have occasionally been mistaken for Coryphella trilineata.
Found diving in San Diego looks like arminia californica but has different colors
Fairly certain of ID but I realize there's precious little information out there on this cryptic aeolid. Help with positive ID would be appreciated. It seems like it might be a little large, given the size suggested by the blade of Zostera, but with so few observations, it's hardly definite. Note that user mbranfireun was my dive buddy and got some better photos of this specimen at https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/201611532
Feeding on sediment bottom. 15 ft deep.
Aeolid, 1.5cm long. Pink-peach body. Rhinophores smooth, long and joined at base. Cerata abundant with white tips and dark pink to red digestive glands with uneven, bumpy form.
Same observation as jonathan1232, same location, same date.
Found by Karen! Video showcasing big beating heart and what looks like a defensive cerata flare: https://flic.kr/p/2pB8Jt3. ~ 4-5mm.
Organized by retired State Park biologist Mark Faull, along with current State Park biologists and I found several shells and live snails of this poorly known species in Red Rock Canyon State Park. We hope to shed light on how closely it is related to other Sonorelix in the Mojave Desert. We were very glad to find that it still survives here, despite climate warming and drought.
The specimens were found in a tidepool in the high intertidal zone near 33*31'11''N 117*45'50'' W. The tide pool contained less than a foot of water at the time of observation (3:55PM), which was right before low tide.
Resting in the upper inch of a woodrat nest in a rock crevice. Right across the Mohave River from a population of Victorville Shoulderband (which was unfortunately fenced). The photos show the precipitated cement dust from the nearby cement plant, which doesn't seem to harm the snails.
Bonny Doon ER
Close to the northern intersection of the Silver Leaf Loop and the Ponderosa Cutoff
Coolest find of the day by FAR was this incredible red branched dendronotid, also the largest nudibranch I’ve ever seen period. At least 1 foot long and absolutley breathtaking!! Surprisingly inshore as well! And actively feasting on coraline algae! One of my favorite experiences dock fouling so far!