Risbecia tryoni are almost always found in pairs "trailing" together.
Chromodoris verrieri, 3-4 mm. Check out the beautiful brown and yellow margin on the mantle.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Beauties from Bob's Rock
Rob, Sara, and I had a couple of nice dives at Bob's Rock on Saturday and found this adult ribbon eel at 8 meters near the entry. I posted a photo in June of a juvenile ribbon eel which was all black.
Risbecia tryoni are almost always found in pairs "trailing" together.
Chromodoris verrieri, 3-4 mm. Check out the beautiful brown and yellow margin on the mantle.
Risbecia tryoni are almost always found in pairs "trailing" together.
Chromodoris verrieri, 3-4 mm. Check out the beautiful brown and yellow margin on the mantle.
Not a Spanish Dancer
Thank you very much to Denis Riek, an incredibly knowledgable naturalist and nudibranch enthusiast living in Byron Bay, for correcting my identification of this slug from last week. It's Dendrodoris carbunculosa, not Hexabranchus sanguineus.
Denis is a regular contributor to the Sea Slug Forum, Nudi Pixel, and nudibranchs.com.au. Check out Denis' website at www.roboastra.com.
Denis is a regular contributor to the Sea Slug Forum, Nudi Pixel, and nudibranchs.com.au. Check out Denis' website at www.roboastra.com.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Weedy Scorpionfish
Thanks to Joel Gaunt for joining me this afternoon for a rough but rewarding dive at Tasi Tolu. This was Joel's first dive in Timor...and I dare say it's going to be tough to beat! Conditions were terrible, but it was creature feature, including the new discovery of this weedy scorpionfish hanging out about 30 meters west of the patch.
Saturday, January 02, 2010
Pregnant Lacy Scorpionfish
Rhinopias aphanes
I was exploring the edge of the top shelf of Tasi Tolu yesterday, just before the slope at about 8 meters. I was thinking about the various sponges, algae, and corals that form habitats for all the great creatures we find at TT. To my delight, I found a pregnant Lacy Scorpionfish! This indivudual is usually much deeper, at 17 meters in the weedy patch. After a bit of research, I learned that scorpionfishes lay an eggsack on the surface. And my guess is that this guy was making his way to the surface to deposit his brood. And yes, it's male: Adult males are smaller than females and according to the research, they carry the eggs.
I realize it's difficult to see, but the Lacy Scorpionfish is on the bottom left of the coral in the first photo. You can click on the photo to enlarge it a bit.
I was exploring the edge of the top shelf of Tasi Tolu yesterday, just before the slope at about 8 meters. I was thinking about the various sponges, algae, and corals that form habitats for all the great creatures we find at TT. To my delight, I found a pregnant Lacy Scorpionfish! This indivudual is usually much deeper, at 17 meters in the weedy patch. After a bit of research, I learned that scorpionfishes lay an eggsack on the surface. And my guess is that this guy was making his way to the surface to deposit his brood. And yes, it's male: Adult males are smaller than females and according to the research, they carry the eggs.
I realize it's difficult to see, but the Lacy Scorpionfish is on the bottom left of the coral in the first photo. You can click on the photo to enlarge it a bit.
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