4476a

Nudibranchs - Sunshine Coast etc. / 4476a
All photos copyright ©2003-2008 Gary Cobb
14/02/04
Gary Cobb 0416 048 100
gary@nudibranch.com.au

*Glossodoris aeruginosa* Rudman, 1995
Location: Caves, Sunshine Coast, Noosa, Queensland Australia Size: 70 mm Depth: 18 m Temperature: 24 C	ORDER: NUDIBRANCHIA FAMILY: Chromodorididae white blue brown
New record for southern Queensland
Photograph by Gary Cobb - Copyright 2003-2008

That's an excellent shot - the depth of focus is very impressive. The gills come out especially well. You can see they are triangular in cross section distally and have white spots in a row up the inner face. Furthermore, I notice that the gills are all unipinnate. That is, all except one which has a tiny branch coming off it. This is a forerunner of the bipinnate condition which is normal for dorids other than chromodorids.
Rudman described it in 1995 (from New Caledonia) and Julie Marshall and I recorded it from Australia for the first time in 1999 (from Heron Island)
Richard Willan

4477a

Second speciman found near Caves divesite Mooloolaba Queensland Australia 52mm long

Third speciman found at Old Woman Island east wall 68mm long