Nocturnal Critters

[rshimek]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote

Originally posted by ATJ:

Hi Andrew,

The wierdest, and I'm hoping you can help Dr Ron, was this stuff that looked like "silly snot". We sort long green stretchy "tentacles" protruding out from crevices and up the rocks. They were in pairs, each around 5mm in diamter, up to a few metres longs, bright green with pale green "heads". As soon as the light hit them they would quickly withdraw into the crevice.

I saw a sea spider (pycnogonid) on a piece of coral - will we be covering these?

Yes

We also saw a number of these "sea slugs" that were quite flat and had wide heads shaped like Napolean's hat. I have no idea what they were (I've asked Bill Rudman if he knows).

My guess is that these were flatworms.

 

[ATJ]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by rshimek:
<strong>My guess is that these were flatworms.</strong><hr></blockquote>
When I said, "quite flat" I meant as far as gastropods go. They were 2cm or more thick which I would have thought was to thick for a flatworm. Length was 15-20cm and width was around 10cm. They had two tentacles like a gastropod as well as growth on their back in about the position of gills on a nudibranch. The foot was also very gastropod like. One thing I forgot to check for was a mouth.

 

[ATJ]

OK, I've found out what the green snot things are... Metabonellia haswelli which are Echiurans. I see we'll be covering this phylum in February.

 

[Carpentersreef]

Man, I wish I lived by the ocean again!

Mitch

 

[ATJ]

I did a night dive in Sydney Harbour on Friday night and there were some wild critters out!

The wierdest, and I'm hoping you can help Dr Ron, was this stuff that looked like "silly snot". We sort long green stretchy "tentacles" protruding out from crevices and up the rocks. They were in pairs, each around 5mm in diamter, up to a few metres longs, bright green with pale green "heads". As soon as the light hit them they would quickly withdraw into the crevice.

We saw 5 or so different species of cephalopod: octopus, squid, 2 species of cuttlefish and dumpling squid.

I saw what I thought was a large flatworm - it was brown patterend with bright blue and black edging. On closer inspection I realised it had raised eyes and was in fact a sole. I looked it up after the dive and IDed it as a small-head sole Aesopia microcephala which is known to mimic a flatworm.

The bioluminescence was fabulous. We turned our flashlights off and moved our hands through the water and it was like fireworks.

I saw a sea spider (pycnogonid) on a piece of coral - will we be covering these?

There were a number of sea slugs (Aplysia sp. - probably A. dactylomela) some of them were mating. We also saw a number of these "sea slugs" that were quite flat and had wide heads shaped like Napolean's hat. I have no idea what they were (I've asked Bill Rudman if he knows).

There were lots of corals and anemones.

I even saw a polychaete!

All I collected was 4 species of sea urchins and some live sand from some sea grass beds.

 

[rshimek]

Hi ATJ,

Yes... it did seem like you left out a lot of rather critical characters in the initial description of the nudibranch you saw.

You can check out my website at:
http://www.rshimek.com/odd_critters.htm#Echiuran%20Worms

Here is an image of an echiuran from an aquarium.

 

[ATJ]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by rshimek:
<strong>Yes... it did seem like you left out a lot of rather critical characters in the initial description of the nudibranch you saw.</strong><hr></blockquote>
LOL, I did rather, but then again I wasn't looking for an ID here. I figure it is probably a unique local species but one that Dr Bill (being very local and a malacologist) will recognise instantly - I gave him a more detailed description.

Once he gives me an ID, I'll post a link to some pictures.
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr><strong>
You can check out my website at:
http://www.rshimek.com/odd_critters.htm#Echiuran%20Worms

Here is an image of an echiuran from an aquarium.
</strong><hr></blockquote>
That's pretty much what ours looks like - except for the colour.

I really need to get my Nikonos working again.

 

[ATJ]

The sea slug was a pleurobranch Euselenops luniceps.

 

[amber]

loved your critters site Dr. ron
I finally ID's my little bugs--Isopods.
sonia