Golden Opalescents

[northwestdiverdan]

Sometimes I go for months without seeing a single Opalescent Hermissenda crassicornis but this past weeked the dive area of Sund Rock on Hood Canal was covered with them. All of the nudibranchs were about the same size and oddly enough, they were all a variation on a golden color that I hadn't seen before. Here's a few shots




and here's one actively laying eggs.

[Dave Behrens]

Hi Dan:

Yes, the populations of Hermi are pretty cyclic, driven primarily by found availability. It is interesting to me that this population you have photographed is made up of the variant with the white line up each cerata. None of the other color variations. If this continues, over time this variant could evolve into a separate species.

Dave