Egg case
Above photos all by Georgina Jones.
Photo Peter Southwood
Georgina Jones found this nudibranch, whom she has given the common name of candelabra nudibranch, due to the resemblance of the ceratal tips to a burning candle, at seal point at Partridge Point. It resembled nothing in Gosliner's Nudibranchs of Southern Africa, but further searches revealed that it is simlar to at least two European Eubranchidae, namely E. doriae and E. exiguus. Bill Rudman, moderator of the Sea Slug forum (www.seaslugforum.net) also could not identify it, so we believe it may be a new species.
Looking through my collection of images, I noticed however that Peter Southwood had photographed it before. It was taken on his 206th dive, at Ankers, Rooi-Els on 22 December 1985, with his logbook reading "New nudibranch on orange wall-sponge (too small to describe - photo)"
Since Georgina's find SURG members have dived at Partridge, Batsata, Castle Rock, A-Frame and Fan Reef to see if they could find it, without any luck - please let us know if you do. While most Eubranchidae eat hydroids, all of these nudibranchs were found on encrusting sponges, so it is likely that they will be found on such again. An egg case, which is likely to be that of this nudibranch, was found on the same sponge.
For more details, see Nudibranchs of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay by Guido Zsilavecz, available (most likely) from July 2007 onwards from SURG and better diveshops in Cape Town.
Nudibranchs of Southern Africa - a guide to the opisthobranch molluscs of southern Africa, T Gosliner, 1987.