Glossodoris cruenta

Top image courtesy of Jim Black
Anilao, Batangas, Philippines
Bottom image courtesy of Mary Jane Adams
Tulaghi Switzer, Florida Group of the Solomon Islands

I am not sure why webmaster Mike has not run this gorgeous species before, but we will remedy that right now. When they wrote the book on warning coloration (aka aposomatism) they certainly has this species in mind. This species blood red spots scream out - "STOP - you don't want to eat me." For hidden within the edge of the mantle is a series of mantle glands ready to eject caustic {{{chemical metabolites}}}. Incidentally, cruenta is Latin for bloody. This species is found throughout the tropical western Pacific, including Australia, Solomon Islands, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Japan. Gorgeous shots Jim and Mary Jane!

WEBMASTER'S NOTES: Beats me too! Dave is right that is about time to memerorial this beautiful species using images from two u/w photographers who excel in taking pics of our sea slug friends! I have only seen G. cruenta twice in my many years of diving the Indo-Pacific and both instances were in the Philippines. The locations of the finds are etched in my memory, Cebu and Anilao. None of my photographs however compare with what you are seeing above! Seeing G. cruenta on a trip would certainly be the highpoint for sure, whatever else I saw would be icing on the cake so as to say! So, fellow sluggers, keep your eyes peeled and you too may be fortunate to come across this ornate beauty!

Jim Black on location in Thailand with friend

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 D-300 in Subal Housing with Ikelite strobes. Macro Mate on 105mm for supermacro . 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 Jim has been a solid supporter of the Slug Site since day one. His countless contributions put him near the top of the list of photographers who have greatly expanded our knowledge of sea slugs. There are a lot of kids in the formative stage of their education who are getting their first introduction to our sea slug friends via the great photographs Jim and other contributors have made to the site. My hat is off to Jim for making this presentation possible!

Mary Jane Adams and Hans Tibboel

Mary Jane lives in Los Angeles, but travels to the far corners of the earth to find and photograph tropical marine wildlife. To date, she has been on 105 dive trips in 35 countries. She used a variety of film cameras before switching to digital imaging in 2008. She is currently shooting with a Nikon D300 camera in a Sea and Sea housing with dual Ikelite 125 DS strobes. She is a Research Associate in the Dept. of Malacology at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles Co. In 2005 she collected an undescribed nudibranch from the Sangihe Archipelago north of Sulawesi, Indonesia and named it Glossodoris tibboeli in honor of the dive master, Hans Tibboel. Mary Jane’s pictures can be seen on several nudibranch and fish related websites and in numerous books including the two best nudibranch books currently available, “Indo-Pacific Nudibranchs and Seas Slugs” by Gosliner, Behrens and Valdes and “Nudibranch Behavior” by David Behrens. She also serves on the Board of Trustees at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA where many of her fish images are on display in the Tropical Gallery. Send Mary Jane email at divepng@yahoo.com

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