Rare nudibranch photographed in Dahab, Red Sea

Have you ever seen a nudibranch like this? Diving Dahab or anywhere in the Red Sea?

If you have, then please get in touch!

Two years ago, one of our regular divers (an underwater photographer, obviously) found this small nudibranch. It was so small that she couldn’t be sure if it was in fact a nudibranch, or just a tiny piece of something caught on a whip coral.

Then last week she spotted it (or a relative!) again, larger and feeding on the same piece of whip coral.

After contact with university biologists in Austria, and various nudibranch experts in internet forums, the best guess is that it is a white Tritonia nudibranch. And if it is, it will apparently be the first time this species has been discovered in the Red Sea. Can you imagine that?!

So what will she name it, if indeed it is a new location for the species? How about “Tritonia baronii dahabiensis”.

But we’re getting a bit ahead of ourselves. If you have also spotted this stunning creature, or have ideas about its identity, we’d love to hear from you.

You can also visit her flickr page for more beautiful shots of the nudibranch and other aquatic life found diving Dahab.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/silkebaron

Photographer Silke Baron, prilfish.at | More photos on flickr.com/photos/silkebaron