Nembrotha guttata

Image courtesy of Jim Black
Lembeh Strait, Indonesia
Nikon D-300 in Subal Housing with Ikelite strobes.
Copyright 2010, Jim Balck

As a Webmaster, I am always on the lookout for images of slugs that are not only first rate in photography, but also add to the body of knowledge we have are building on our sea slug friends. Jim Black's fills the bill on both counts. It seems that in the past week, a flurry of Nembrotha images have filled the my mailbox. I am going to start addressing these images, one by one starting out with Jim's Nembrotha guttata which incidentally came in already identified! Consulting with Bill Rudman's Sea Slug Forum , I am in total agreement with Jim's identification (for whatever that's worth!) But why is it no where to be found in the Indo-Pacific Nudibranchs and Sea Slugs ? N. guttata evidently enjoys a wide distribution in the Indo-Pacific. One of the first sightings of N. guttata in the Philippines was by Erwin Kohler in the Cebu area. Jim's image adds to the number of encounters in the northern Sulawesi region of Indonesia! I certainly would like to get some high definition video of it! Hey, what's wrong with dreaming! I never thought Kalinga ornata would be part of my life time experience either!

REFERENCE

Yonow (1993) Opisthobranchs from the Maldive Islands, includng descriptions of seven new species (Mollusca, Gastropoda). Revue fr. Aquariol., 20: 97-130

WEBMASTER'S NOTES: The authors of Indo-Pacific Nudibranchs and Sea Slugs heave responded (07/13/10! The long and short of the discussion has what I have called Nembrotha guttata as Nembrotha sp. 3 in their book! A second exmination of the information at hand has convinced me of the error of my ways! The image to the left was taken on a recent Philippines trip and is almost certainly Jim's animal! Michael Miller San Diego, Calif Jul., 2010

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!

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