Saturday, February 14, 2026

My Funny Valentine

Happy Valentine's Day!  I love this card that the California Academy of Sciences put out:


That's Terry Gosliner.  He is one of the few scientists actively working on describing new species.

In between the two morning dives, Vanessa spotted a "snot" on the bow near the boat line.  Turns out it was a Scyllaea fulva.  A species we hadn't seen yet.  We put it in a cup of sea water and took pictures.  Then Gary put it back on the mooring line.  So we saved it!

JR had the second half of the day off, so I just hung around the group on both dives.

On the afternoon dive, Caroline pointed out to me something on a hydroid. I didn't think this was a nudi since it looked like the critter had feet.  But upon further examination, it IS TOTALLY a nudi. The Lomanotus sp.  It is just that the foot of the nudibranch has stripes.  New learning for me.  I am so glad I got at least a few photos of it.  She also found another Lomanotus, so I started calling her the Lomanotus Queen.

On the night dive, I wasn't finding much.  Then I saw everyone was waiting in line for something.  I was getting annoyed, so I went to look for other stuff and I found a Goniobranchus geometricus and a Thuridilla lineolata.  Which is two more than I found on the rest of the dive!  But when finally everyone else was done shooting, they had left.  And I for the life of me could not find the subject.  Ugh!  I was so mad I started yelling underwater.  John finally came over and saved me... he showed me the nudi.  God love him.  It was a Marionia sp. 15.  The bloodworms was really bad and I couldn't get a good shot.

As I came back from the night dive and walked up my porch, there was a land slug on it.  Whoa.  My funny valentine...




Here are the lovely underwater slugs for today:

69 - Goniobranchus sp.


I thought was Sagaminopteron at first so didn't get great shots of it.

70 - Thorunna halourga



71 - Trapania darvelli



72 - Phyllodesmium rudmani



73 - Phyllodesmium koehleri



74 - Scyllaea fulva <- New in life for me 



75 - Lomanotus sp.



76 - Marionia sp. 15


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