Unknown is Elysia

Here's a response from the Sea Slug Forum regarding our Unknown Nudibranch posted on Sunday. Seems that it may be a color form of Elysia tomentosa.

Unknown Nudibranch from One Tree

We started our "Kate's final dive" dive at One Tree (aka No Tree). Come back to us soon Kate...and bring Lendell back!!!

Diane, of course, found this amazing nudibranch (~5mm). Truly, the only way to see it, to distinguish it from anything around it, was when it moved. It displayed a rocking motion and it's little 'lateral flaps' waved to and fro. There are actually two of them in the second photo, but the individuals are difficult to discern even in the photographs. We'll have to send this on for identification because we've seen nothing like it in our reference books.

Frogfish

Here's another impossibly small frogfish.
And guess who spotted it?

Cling Fish

This Cling Fish was bravely swimming around the edges of his crinoid (feather star) home at K41. The crinoid was home to another cling fish and a squat lobster. For better detail of the "cling-part" of these fish, check out the posting from Secret Garden back in January.

Saw Blade Shrimp UPDATE

At K41 we checked in to see the Saw Blade Shrimp. Two weeks ago she was carrying eggs, but today they were gone. Ready for another clutch.

Suspended at Sandy Bottom - UPDATED

Here's the response from Bill Rudman at the Sea Slug Forum.

Suspended at Sandy Bottom

We went to Sandy Bottom today after a long absence and found this phyllodesmium trapped inside a mucus membrane along with its eggs.

Another photo you really have to enlarge.

Allied Cowry

Prosimnia semperi

Frogfish at K41

Eggs on the Saw Blade

Today we went to visit the Saw Blade Shrimp that Diane found last week at K41. And to our delight, the shrimp now has loads of eggs!

It's really worth enlarging the second photo.

New Species Name

The Sea Slug Forum has named one of our unidentified species.

Trapania miltabrancha

























The species name miltabrancha is based on the Greek words for 'red gill' because Gosliner & Fahey, who have recently "described" the Trapania, consider the species to have 'pale red gill leaves'.

Here's the Original Submission to the Sea Slug Forum


Unidentified Trapania from Tulamben
February 28, 2007
From: Brian Francisco>

Diane's Greatest Find Ever

Diane has been combing black corals in Timor for four years looking for Saw Blade Shrimp (Tozeuma armatum). The Tozeuma is found exclusively on black coral, but as you can see, their camouflage is spectacular and they are very good at rotating around the coral branch, hiding from view.

New Nudi

This is a new nudi to us. We'll send it to the Sea Slug Forum for an identification. If anybody knows the species name, please drop us a line.

Xenocrab

Xenocrabs are more commonly found on whip corals, and usually below 20 meters from our experience. This xeno was found on a gorgonian black coral at 16 meters at K41. Notice that the xeno has decorated himself with little polyps from the gorgonian.

ONE THOUSAND DAYS !

Today is the 1000th day of UWET on the net. Here's a small tribute to UWET we found this morning at Tasi Tolu

Cuthona kanga feeding on a hydroid

Mr. Clean

Sneaky Pete

Actually, this is a photo of a ghost shrimp taken at Dili Rock yesterday, about 6mm.

Independence Day Dive

For those of you familiar with Tasi Tolu, this stonefish was laying under the collapsed barrel sponge. Feel free to click on the photo to enlarge it, but it still ain't pretty.














And this nudibranch, possibly some type of Scyllaea or Notobryon, was our reward for getting out to Dili Rock at 5:00am.

Take the Money and Run

This harlequin shrimp is to determined to run away with his prized starfish. The starfish, however, seems to be keen on sticking around a bit longer.

Whip Coral World

Attachments

Razor Shrimpfish

Click on the image to enlarge.