Northwest Dive Club

I was at Keystone Jetty today with my macro looking for Flabellinas when I spotted this Dendronotus albus. I took several pictures, and as luck would have it there in the pictures was a nudibranch that I completely failed to notice. I'm guessing that its a Cuthona of some kind, perhaps the Neat Aeolid Cuthona concinna? Wish the image was sharper, but that's what happens when you find something in post processing!

Very nice photo considering how small these guys are. I would say that's a pretty safe bet but it could also be Cuthona cocochroma, pretty darn hard to tell apart. These little guys are out in force right now laying eggs as just about everything else seems to be right now.

Dusty2 wrote:Very nice photo considering how small these guys are. I would say that's a pretty safe bet but it could also be Cuthona cocochroma, pretty darn hard to tell apart. These little guys are out in force right now laying eggs as just about everything else seems to be right now.

thanks!

Its amazing that I even got one image in moderate focus, since I didn't even see the little guy while I was taking the picture.

The guidebook I have says that the cocochroma has a range from Cape Arago Oregon south to Marin County, CA. That's why I thought it might be a concinna.

Dan

Range estimates are often wrong. I have seen several things that were not supposed to be in the sound.

Cococrema was documented in the sound all the way down to Rich passage last year so they are here. However cococrema has solid color cerata with white tips where concinna has brown to grey cores incased in clear cerata. Here is a pic from last week at Hudson with their egg masses. I'm pretty sure both yours and mine are Cuthona concinna

Peter and I photographed cocoachroma in Cove 2 last year -- made "Slug of the Week" on the Slug Site (http://slugsite.us/bow2007/nudwk802.htm). ID was confirmed by the experts . . .