 |
Chromodoris sp.
Found and photographed by Jim BlackSouth Batanta, Raja Ampat, West Papua (Irian Jaya)
Nikon D-300 in Subal Housing with Ikelite strobes. Macro Mate on 105mm for supermacro
Looking a little bit like members of the messy Chromodoris reticulata look-a-like group, this undescribed species notal surface is covered with triangular shaped tubercles. It has a complex notal color pattern with brown covered with white specks and blue and yellow marking as a near the notal margin. Another difference from the C. reticulata look-a-likes are the think white lines on the tripinnate gill. A large species reaching up to 75 mm, little is known about it biology. You can see it and the other members of the messy Chromodoris reticulata look-a-like group 0n page 218 of our new Indo-Pacific Nudibranchs and Sea Slugs book. This undescribed species is currently known from Queensland, Australia, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea and southern Japan.
 | The image at left recently taken (May 2011) by Gramal Arno in the Lembeh Straits area of Indonesia is probably the juvenile version of Chromodoris sp. . |
Gig Harbor, Washington
June., 2009
WEBMASTER'S NOTES: Mary Jane Adams sent me a equally great image of this week's celebrity slug some years ago, but at the time I had no idea as to placement. Calling it a variation of Chromodoris reticulata was tempting but it just looked different. Time went by and eventually the image rightfully found its way into the new book as Chromodoris sp. 13.
Jim Black on location
 |
Jim is retired from US Airways after 27 years as a pilot..., flying Captain on an Airbus 330 Internationally. Diving since 1970...with over 5200 dives logged. Shoots Nikon F4s in housing and Nikonos RS. Jim's photography has been featured in a number of books and publications including Helmut Debelius' Nudibranchs and Sea Snails of Gosliner, Behrens and Williams Coral Reef Animals of the Indo-Pacific. A photo of Jim petting a shark in "Sleeping Shark Caves" off Isla Mujeres Island, Mexico, taken by Amy Foster his significant other, recently appeared in Dave Behrens' Diving Guide to Cozumel, Cancun & The Riviera Maja. Send Jim email at jim.black14@verizon.net |
|
