DIVELOG JUNE 406

EUBRANCHUS

The REAL ‘Balloon Animals’ of the sea

Eubranchus ocellatus. Some cerata are hugely inflated. The narrow digestive diverticulum is visible through the mostly transparent walls.

Eubranchus sp. (sp. 20). An undescribed Eubranchus . Body and all appendages covered in dark spots. Digestive diverticula yellow and fill cerata.

H ave you ever inflated those special sausage-shaped balloons and twisted them together to make an “animal”? My favourite was the poodle, probably because it was the easiest to make that was recognisable as an animal. Every time I see a Eubranchus nudibranch I’m reminded of those comical little creations.

long time it was thought that the genus was primarily populated by temperate species and a quick look at a list of the described species would seem to confirm that view. However, the tropical Indo-Pacific is rich in putative Eubranchus species with more than 30 awaiting

Eubranchus is a genus of aeolid nudibranchs belonging to the Fionidae or Eubranchidae family depending upon whose taxonomy is followed. Whilst almost 50 species of Eubranchus have been described, the systematics of the genus requires much work. For a

Eubranchus inabai . The cerata vary greatly in size giving it an asymmetrical appearance. Originally described from Japan.

Eubranchus sp. (sp. 25). This is a Eubranchus putnami look-alike but different in some important respects. One member of a taxonomically cryptic clade.

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DIVE LOG Australasia #406 - June ‘24