Marine Life‎ > ‎California‎ > ‎Invertebrates‎ > ‎

Nudibranchs A-L

Barnacle-Eating Dorid

Onchidoris bilamellata

    
(1-4: San Carlos Beach, Monterey / 5: Monterey State Beach, Monterey)

These congregate in huge numbers to eat barnacles, mate and lay eggs.  Note the carinate dovesnails eating the nudibranch eggs.

Black Dorid

Polycera atra

       
(1-8: Monterey State Beach, Monterey)

These are less than an inch long.  The 5th picture shows a tiny one on a maroon hermit crab.  Under natural light, the orange stripes look gray, so they blend into their environment.

Branched Dendronotus

Dendronotus frondusus

 
(1-2: Monterey State Beach, Monterey)

Brown Horned Dorid

Acanthodoris brunnea

  
(1-3: San Carlos Beach, Monterey)

California Armina

Armina californica

(1: San Carlos Beach, Monterey)

California Chromodorid

Hypselodoris californiensis

(1: Golf Ball Drop Off, Santa Cruz Island)

Catalina Triopha

(aka Clown Nudibranch)

Triopha catalinae

       
(1,3,5,7-8: San Carlos Beach, Monterey / 2: Whaler's Cove, Point Lobos / 4: Golf Ball Drop Off, Santa Cruz Island / 6: Lovers Point, Monterey)

This one is laying eggs:

 
(1: San Carlos Beach, Monterey)

Cockerell's Dorid

Limacia cockerelli

        
(1,3-6,8-9: San Carlos Beach, Monterey / 2: Whaler's Cove, Point Lobos / 7: Monastery Beach, Carmel-by-the-Sea)

These are feeding on bryozoans:
 
(1-2: San Carlos Beach, Monterey)

Diamondback Triopha

Tritonia festiva

      
(1-6: Whaler's Cove, Point Lobos / 7: Monastery Beach, Carmel-by-the-Sea)

Small; only 1" long.

Heath's Dorid

Geitodoris heathi

(1: Whaler's Cove, Point Lobos, CA)

Hilton's Aeolid

Phidiana hiltoni

   
(1,4: Whaler's Cove, Point Lobos / 2-3: San Carlos Beach, Monterey)

Hopkins' Rose Nudibranch

Okenia rosacea

       
(1,4,8: Whaler's Cove, Point Lobos / 2-3,5-7: San Carlos Beach, Monterey)

They eat rosy bryozoan:
(1: San Carlos Beach, Monterey)

The Limbaughs' Cadlina

Cadlina limbaughorum

 
(1: West of Santa Barbara Island / 2: Golf Ball Drop Off, Santa Cruz Island)

Lion's Mane Nudibranch

Melibe leonina

       
(1-2: San Carlos Beach, Monterey / 3-8: Monterey State Beach, Monterey)

These are common on eel grass and kelp in Monterey.  They also occasionally float around freely, wiggling back and forth.

These ones are laying eggs:
(1: San Carlos Beach, Monterey)