New Nudibranch

Well to follow up on the post below, I guess if you find a species new to science on your trip to the beach that has to be worth 100 points.

PRESS RELEASE New Species of Sea Slug Discovered by UCSB Marine Scientist
September 22, 2010

For the scientific record, Goddard describes the new species as "characterized externally by its smooth rhinophores; long tail and cephalic tentacles; pointed foot corners; red and orange tipped cerata; and lack of pigmentation on the head, body and head tentacles."

Goddard discovered the sea slug in 2008. As with many taxonomic discoveries, the finding often takes a couple of years for documentation, comparison with known species, and publication. Meanwhile Goddard and his colleagues will continue searching for more specimens of the newly described species.

Nudibranchs are cool. The one you are most likely to find in a tide pool around here is the California Brown Sea Hare - Aplysia californica. They can be quite large and weigh several pounds but are very hard to spot in the kelp. Each sea hare is both male and female, but they cannot fertilize their own eggs. They mate in lines and circles: each is male to the one in front and female to the one behind, so each is both a mother and a father.