Orange-clubbed nudibranch Limacia clavigera on its egg spiral, on bryozoa.
Photo Dieter Stegemann
Another orange-clubbed nudibranch, again with egg case and food source
Photo by Guido Zsilavecz
This nudibranch is relatively common, inhabiting both reef walls as well as kelp fronds. They lay eggs on both environments. It is interesting to note that it seems that in some areas most are on walls, whereas in other areas only on kelp: for example, at A-Frame I tend to find most on the rock walls, whereas at Windmill most are on kelp! At Long Beach, where there are few rock walls to use, most are on kelp. On the kelp a bryozoa, a lace or moss animal, grows - these are the white geometric lines on the kelp. The nudibranch feeds on this. It is common to see the egg spiral laid straight over the bryozoa.
The orange-clubbed nudibranch, named obviously after the orange-tipped club-like appendages, is quite variable in appearance, with some individuals elongate with few clubs, while others are densely covered. On some individuals there are also orange spots and blotches on the body, whereas on others these can be completely absent. They are often seen together.
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.