Nudibranch of some sort

[Octoberfest]

Anyone know what this one might be? I hate to throw it in the drink as its really pretty.

Sorry about the quality of the photo but its only about 1/4" long. To give reference the brown stuff in the background is a wood plank on my deck.

 

[sjmantis]

***? looks like someone lost their nose

edit: maybe? http://www.nudipixel.net/photo/00026557/

 

[LeslieH]

Looks more like a flatworm but not one I've ever seen.

 

[Octoberfest]

Looks more like a flatworm but not one I've ever seen.

The only reason I'm thinking its not a flatworm is because of the antenna sticking up. I'm going to try and get a cross picture of it tonight to show how they stick up.

 

[pagojoe]

I'm thinking it's a flatworm too, but like Leslie, I've never seen one like that. Some of the flatworms do have pseudo-antennae or pseudo-rhinophores, as you prefer. That one looks like it's mimicking something, although...I can't guess what it would be mimicking.

Cheers,



Don

 

[Octoberfest]

Here are a couple I just took...

 

[peteralexander]

what ever it is, its pretty

 

[pagojoe]

That's beautiful. No sign of an external gill, very flat, and the spotting gives it the appearance of the ruffly edge of a nudibranch. That's kind of typical of the flatworms that mimic nudibranchs, but it's not one of the better known mimics. I bet somebody would be interested in it, but interest gets dampened a bit if the origin of the animal is not known, which is typical of hitchhiker animals. It may be mimicking Chromodoris aspersa, or a similar species:

http://www.seaslugforum.net/showall/chraspe

Cheers,



Don

 

[LeslieH]

Thanks for the new pics - much better! Definitely a flatworm. For comparison take a look at Stylochus insolitus from California - http://week.divebums.com/2007/Sep10-2007/index.html Without a name to check in the literature I've no clue as to what it eats.