Shaggy nudibranch Bursatella leachi at Long Beach. Photo Phil Parr
Photo Peter Southwood.
This nudibranch is only infrequently seen - this is only the third record SURG is aware off - in 2005 Peter Southwood saw one as well. This is what we wrote at the time:
While the shaggy sea hare occurs from Langebaan to beyond Sodwana, it is not often seen in Cape Town. It is common in estuaries and tidal pools, and forms dense breeding aggregations. In Knysna lagoon, at Thesen's Jetty, Guido has indeed seen such aggregations, with numerous individuals slowly moving over a dull sandy bottom. It is a large nudibranch, reaching 10 cm at least.
For more details see Nudibranchs of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay, available late July 2007 from better Cape Town divestores or directly from SURG.
Nudibranchs of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay. G. Zsilavecz, 2007
Nudibranchs of Southern Africa - a guide to the opisthobranch molluscs of southern Africa, T Gosliner, 1987.