Chromodoris sp. 12

Photo was taken at Watamu, Kenya, Africa
Photo courtesy of Kevin Lee
Copyright 2011


Chromodoris sp. 12

Well we finally have a second documented sighting of Chromodoris sp. 12 in Indo-Pacific Nudibranchs and Sea Slugs. Kevin's shot here, while much darker in coloration, than the Philibert Bidgrain's photo on page 217 of the book. Until we get a look at the internals of this critter, we won't know for sure. Both occurrences are documented but photos only. Bummer.

Bottom line, the body is white with a yellow-gold dorsal region, and a thin black marginal band. There are a series of large round spots on the dorsum, each hallowed in white. In Philibert's specimens the spots are a maroon color, while Kevin's are black. The rhinophores and gill are tinged with purple to black.

Both occurrences are from the western Indian Ocean. This is an example of how frustrating identification of animals from photos can be, even when they are excellent, as Philibert's and Kevin's are. Because we do not have specimens of either, adds to the frustration. Okay - that's a challenge - lets collect the bugger

Dave Behrens
Gig Harbor, Washington
April 2011


Lorenzo de Ponti, Christiane Waldrich, Kevin Lee and Angelo de Faveri
Blue Fin Diving, Watamu, Kenya, Africa

Kevin has just published an excellent article online based on his trip to Africa! See Scott Gietler's Underwater Photography Guide ! The following are excerpts from that article that will definitely wet your appetite to read the whole story as told by Kevin!

"...Years ago, I trekked to the top of Mt. Kenya, the second highest summit on the African continent, at 17,000 feet and enjoyed the adventure more than climbing, days later, to the higher summit of Kilimanjaro. Little did I imagine, then, that Africa would beckon me back and I would return to experience the wonders of the ocean, underwater photography & scuba diving off Kenya’s scenic eastern coast. ..."

"...Beautiful Reefs and Rare Nudi's Corals, soft and hard, are plentiful and varied, though they are relatively small and do not grow to the massive sizes found in other Indo-Pacific regions like Indonesia and the Philippines. Yet, the waters teem with many fish species, some of which were new to me. Scorpion and Stonefish, the size of basketballs, came by the dozen. They are so well camouflaged, I nearly set my hand on a nasty looking one. Afterward, I made sure to maintain a healthy distance, by donning a glove and employing my reef stick. Schools of jacks, barracuda, frogfish, angels, groupers, and ever pesky wrasses vied for our attention. Of course, the main object of our photographic desires was opisthobranchs and we found plenty of them. Lorenzo and Angelo are major sluggers themselves, as is Christiane Waldrich (co-owner of Villa Markisa Dive Resort in Bali) who joined, all the way from Indonesia, to participate in our treasure hunt. Our dive guide, James, also has a sharp eye for slugs and together our group found some rare nudies that are some of the most strikingly stupendous, I’ve seen anywhere..."

Send Kevin email at diverkevin@gmail.com


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

Send Dave email at dave@seachallengers.com

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