Opisthobranch of the Week is Goniobranchus sp.

Goniobranchus sp.

Image courtesy of Stewart Clarke

Goniobranchus sp.(s)
Photo by Stewart Clarke

I don't know what the heck Stewart was doing diving in the marina at the Viceroy Hotel in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, but he has sure stumbled across a treasure trove of nudibranchs, especially Goniobranchids. You may recall his first find of a new Goniobranchus sp. that we presented in March 2015. Well here is another one, and when you look at the two side by side in the photo to the left, they are distinctively different. Two undescribed species side by side - wow. And there is a third one yet to come.
The latest find is large, white with very large oval purple spots on the dorsum and hyponotum. It has a yellow marginal band round the notum. White mantle glands are visible along the posterior end of the notum. These glands likely secrete defensive chemical metabolites. The gill and rhinophores are white with orange tips. Wow, what a beauty.
I am not sure of the identity of the blue sponge it is feeding on, but the bottom where Stewart ran into these guys is quite silty and dominated by filter feeding mussels. I hope we can put a name on this species real soon. Thanks Stewart.
Dave Behrens
Sammamish, WA 98074
Apr., 2017
Send Dave email at davidwbehrens@gmail.com

WEBMASTER'S NOTES: Folks, there is a new kid on the block bookwise. This one you can't do without if your are a frequent traveler to the Anilao area of the Philippines. The price is definitely right at $15!
The I-book is a guide to the nudibranchs and other sea slugs seen during the 1st Nudibranch Festival, 2016 in Anilao in the Batangas region of Luzon Island in the Philippines. Over 490 species are described and illustrated many with multiple images and with general information of the the families and groups. This is the first guide to these beautiful molluscs in this area.
For ordering information, please go to Anilao Nudibranch E-Book!

Stewart and friend

Myself and a friend are hoping to carry on the tradition that Carole Harris started up of finding and recording Nudibranchs in the UAE and Oman.
I've been living and diving in the UAE for 5 years but only really started looking for Nudibranch properly within the last 18 months. We have another small wreck called Inchcape 2 which so far has yielded 40 separate species and we hope to find many more. Stewart has been living and working in the United Arab Emirates for 7 years after escaping from the grey skies of the UK. It has only been during the last 4 years that he has been systematically searching for Nudibranchs in the surrounding waters of Eastern Arabia, and to date has recorded 210 species for the area. He believes there are still many more to discover especially in the less dived reefs of Western Abu Dhabi and hopes to bring a number of them to the BOW in the future.
We also have a Facebook page whereby we try and post pictures of what we have seen.

I have also collated some of my photos in an album on my photography website

Stewart Clarke
UAE
Apr., 2017
Send Stewart email at stewartclarke@hotmail.com

From left to right, Terry Gosliner, Angel Valdes, Dave Behrens La Jolla, Calif.

Send Dave email at davidwbehrens@gmail.com