Photo by Ros Morgenrood
Photo by Guido Zsilavecz
Photo by Guido Zsilavecz
Ros asks what species of nudibranch this nearly-transparent one is.
It is the silver nudibranch. While superficially similar to the common gasflame nudibranch Bonisa nakaza, which occasionally may have cerata (the projections sticking out) in red or pink tipped by white, the silver nudibranch can be distinguished by having more flattened cerata, compared to the rounded ones of the gasflame nudibranch. Furthermore, the cerata generally appear translucent, and the red is actually part of the digestive system of the nudibranch. This can be seen in the detailed photo.
The silver nudibranch is one of the most common nudibranchs on both sides of the Peninsula. It lays a convoluted white egg mass containing up to 40 eggs, shown in the third image.
Nudibranchs of Southern Africa - a guide to the opisthobranch molluscs of southern Africa, T Gosliner, 1987.
Two Oceans, A guide to the marine life of Southern Africa, GM Branch, CL Griffiths, ML Branch and LE Beckley, 1994.