New Discovery!!!

Yeah, the star polyp thing is a hit or miss with em. Lfs said sum will bother them while others wont. I would think u are ok if hes been in there that long and hasnt wiped any out.

 

its acctually not a nudibranch, its a type of conch. you cant see its shell under it back flaps, but if you are lucky you can see a white stripe down its back. LFS told me its called a limpet. i have two, my eats a little algea, but they are nocturnal. i luve mine, never had any reef problems with so dont worry. but i didnt know it ate hydriods.

 

Nah, I don't think so. You're talking about a scutus species, which is in the same family as keyhole limpets, but they don't have "butt feathers," or gills on their backs. If it has the "feathers" on the rear part of the dorsum, it's definitely a nudibranch, but not a species (or a variation) I've ever seen before. It looks to be a dorid of some sort, most likely, but I'd be surprised if it's a chromodorid. The dorids are generally sponge feeders.

Cheers,



Don

 

Am also pretty certain it is a nudi. Very distinct "butt feathers" (gills)...and no sign of shell or stripe(?)


Here is another pic, have kept look out for and has shown up again for a few moments before returning to rock to hide....








My imagination:speechles (???)


But there seems to be allot fewer asterina's on glass in that area then earlier today!!!!!

If this thing goes after them also, it really will be a gift from the heavens. I will be throwing a party for the whole neighborhood.

(Of course all here will be invited also.)


;D
Scott

 

False alarm...have watched closely and seems to just crawl over the asterinas.

Just my imagination going at full tilt.

Still a very cool creature...and am quite satisfied that it appears to like the hydroids.

Also...at first glance it appears to be black. But actually is a very, very dark blue.





Actually a very pretty animal.

 

OK, that last pic makes it look like something I'm familiar with. The mottled markings on the first pic and the odd shape of the front on the next-to-last pic made me think it was something else, but the last pic looks like it's either Dendrodoris fumata or Dendrodoris nigra. It should have white tips on the rhinophores, and I couldn't see any on the earlier pics, but it appears to be there on the last one.

The Sea Slug Forum - Dendrodoris fumata

The Sea Slug Forum - Dendrodoris nigra

Cheers,


Don

 

Thanks much.

Cool Site.

Looks like it is the Dendrodoris nigra.

Appears exactly same as,:

http://www.seaslugforum.net/images/m9034a.jpg

To include whites spots on tips of the rhinophores and the gills are relatively numerous and form a compact circle around the rear end of the creature...both characteristics of the Dendrodoris nigra.

Site states pretty much only sponge eaters and will die off when "meat" gone.

But if I am not mistaken, it is what has cleaned my hydroids out. Of course, could be something entirely different in tank doing so.


Will see...



Scott