Analysed!

"What is this bizarre-looking creature?!" That was the question in the last blog Analyse this!

Thanks to those who dug up their field guides and gave a response on the Tag Board!

Nudibranchs can be a real challenge to ID. Not only do they occur in incredible variety, but they also have mimics and similar-looking sub species. It's hard to find everything in the books, but there're always other resources such as the web and people, people, people!

I got in touch with Uma Sachidhanandam, founder of A Guide to Singapore Nudibranchs...

"I have not seen one like this, it has several lobes compared to Thecacera."

So I looked up Dr. Bill Rudman, Principal Research Scientist at the Australian Museum, and creator of the Sea Slug Forum...

"This is a nudibranch but not Thecacera. It is a species of Doto, almost certainly Doto bella."

To the left is a picture of one variety ofThecacera picta. Its distribution is originally recorded from Japan, and since from northwestern Australia. Records also include the Indian Ocean [Maldives] and various islands in tropical western Pacific.

So it is not Thecacera sp. but Doto bella. It's easy to conclude IDs at the closest visual match, but animals can differ in morphology, and often times, minute physiological differences, so it's always good to exhaust your resources! Keep taking pictures and keep flipping your field guides! You never know when you'll discover something new! Several new species and new ranges have been discovered by the regular "backyard" diver. Who knows you could be next!

Reference: Sea Slug Forum