Crab Girl

On the shore of this dive site there are wild cows, horses and colts.  There was one house that I want to move into right above the reef.  Awesome.  The view of the volcano is breathtaking as well. 

Today Graham pointed out that my laptop’s keyboard is filthy.  He’s right!  My only excuse is that it’s a white computer so it shows dirt really easily… but gross!  It just goes to show you that you never see what’s right in front of you.

On one of the dives today, Graham found me and frantically motioned for me to come over.  He kept pointing to me and then told me to swim over with him.  When we got to the area he looked hard but couldn’t find it any more.  It turns out that he found a Phyllodesmium macphersonae!!!  But it disappeared after other divers photographed it.  Bummer.

On the night dive I made the mistake of taking a picture of a crab and Graham caught me.  Underwater he gave me the finger wag, and then at dinner he kept calling me “Crab Girl” instead of “Nudi Girl”.  Uh oh, I better shape up or I won’t be invited back on another trip.

I busted out some music later in the evening… just “Copacabana” and “Sexy and I Know It” but everyone HATED having music playing while they worked on their photos.  This is certainly a very mellow crowd.

The slug slate:

127 - Gymnodoris sp. 1

This is a rearing behavior where it uses its rhinophores as chemoreceptors to find food or a mate.

128 - Chromodoris cf. alderi

It looks like you can see into the holes where its rhinophores go in.

129 - Flabellina expotata

Flabby

130 - Glossodoris hikuerensis

So close to the cinta.

131 - Hypselodoris krakatoa

Like stars dotting the margin.

132 - Nembrotha sp.

Teensy.

133 - Jorunna rubescens

People often call this "the rat".

134 - Favorinus sp. 1

135 - Chromodoris strigata

136 - Halgerda batangas

Two laying eggs.

137 - Siphopteron sp.

Itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot nudi.

138 - Cuthona sp.

139 - Hypselodoris zephyra

140 - Cuthona sp. 3

141 - Costasiella sp.

Often found on a leaf.

142 - Gastropteron bicornutum

143 - Syphonota geographica

This guy looks like a lemondrop.

144 - Pleurobranchus grandis

If you touch a pleurobranch, it is threatened and it sheds one of its plates.  So don't do it!

145 - Lomanotus sp.

146 - Cuthona sp. (white body orange rhinophores with blue nipples)

147 - Halgerda stricklandi

Close to the batangas.

148 - Phestilla cf sp. 2

cf just means closest to.  So this is closest to the unidentified species 2 of Phestilla.

149 - Thuridilla undula

150 - Trapania aurata (Bernard Picton later let me know that this is a Trapania gibbera because of the brown line across the front)

151 - Cuthona sibogae

152 - Aplysia sp.

153 - Hypselodoris emma

154 - Pleurobranchus peronii

155 - Hexabranchus sanguineus

This is a juvenile Spanish Dancer.  When they are adults they turn mostly red and when disturbed travel through the water column in movements like a Spanish Dancer.

156 - Doto ussi

Super grapey cool. 

157 - Marionia elongoreticula

158 - Doris immonda

Looks like something took a bite out of this guy!