Yellow-tipped nudibranch laying eggs
Photo Andrew Taylor
Another one, not laying eggs.
Photo Guido Zsilavecz.
The elegant and slender yellow-tipped nudibranch is a little known, and thusfar undescribed species, which is also rarely seen. Currently it is known only from the Atlantic side of the Cape Peninsula, and then generally only from deeper dive sites further offshore. The shallowest site from which it has been recorded is Coral Gardens, which seems to have a deeper water feel to its central bowl.
SURG member Andrew Taylor took this magnificent photograph of a specimen of this species laying its egg case as a small blob of eggs on a thin strand, something which is done by a number of aeolid nudibranchs. Because of this identifying nudibranchs by the egg cases they lay is generally not easy, but it is still useful to know what their egg case looks like, as sighting it might give an indication of a species' presence. Previous to this photo it was not known what the egg case of this species looked like.
For more information on this nudibranch, see "Nudibranchs of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay", or "A Field Guide to the Marine Animals of the Cape Peninsula", available directly from SURG or better Cape Town dive shops.
Nudibranchs of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay. G Zsilavecz, 2007
A Field Guide to the Marine Animals of the Cape Peninsula. G Jones, 2008
Nudibranchs of Southern Africa - a guide to the opisthobranch molluscs of southern Africa, T Gosliner, 1987.