Flabellinopsis iodinea

NUDI GILL PIN-UP: Cyerce Elegans

| Bonnie Kelso

Happy September! I have exciting news to share… Nudi Gill is now available for pre-order!

Now that that is out of the way… let’s bring our attention back to the pin-ups, shall we? Today I have a sea slug species to share with you who is not a nudibranch. They may look like a jellyfish, an egg case, or spawn of the blob, but they are actually a living creature! Look closely for those telltale rhinophores to let you know who you are really dealing with.

Cyerce Elegans!

They are little, lacy, and 100% Loveable!

Nhobgood Nick Hobgood, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Also known as the Butterfly Cyerce, the Cyerce Elegans is a species of sacoglossan sea slug meaning it is solar-powered and feeds primarily on algae unlike those carnivorous nudibranchs. Their leaf-like creata can be cast away if they feel threatened, providing for a distraction while they make their escape. They are relatives of the Cyerce Nigricans sea slug which resembles a tiny aquatic stegosaurus (which, by the way, is the best of all the dinosaurs).

Cyerce Nigricans. Katharina Händeler, Yvonne P. Grzymbowski, Patrick J. Krug & Heike Wägele, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Here’s some beautiful footage of a Cyerce elegans on the move.

Those are some pretty sassy Salsa moves, Cyerces elegans!

I hope you enjoyed learning about September’s sassy supermodel pin-up, Cyerce elegans. Stay tuned for October’s loveable pin-up. You won’t want to miss this one!

May you display some sea slug elegans of your own today.

Bonnie

NOW Available for pre-order!

Bonnie Kelso writes and illustrates books for children and adults that encourage individualism and brave self-expression. She facilitates art workshops for her local community and beyond. Her debut picture book, NUDI GILL, releases in March, 2023. A lover of nature and travel, she often wanders about outside with her family whenever an excellent opportunity to do so presents itself.

NUDI GILL PIN-UP: Thecacera pacifica

| Bonnie Kelso

Summer is winding down and kids are heading back to school, but that won’t stop me from sharing August’s awesome Nudi Gill Pin-up with you! With its bright yellow coloring and black-tipped rhinophores this nudibranch looks very much like a certain beloved Pokémon character. That’s right, it’s…

Thecacera pacifica!

AKA the Pikachu Nudibranch!

This nudibranch has some funky earlobed rhinophores! Their gills are also located a bit closer to the head than other species with two large papillae on either side. But just like other nudibranchs, they can deliver a nasty sting when threatened. Kind of like Pikachu and his electric shocks.

Angry Mad GIF by Pokémon
https://giphy.com/gifs/pokemon-anime-aNFT7eG2rIKK715uLk

NUDI – NUDI – CHUUUUUU!

Here’s a great video that shows a bit more about the science behind a nudibranch’s stinging abilities. They literally steal stingers (or underdeveloped nemotocycts) from their food and hoard them in their cerata until matured and ready to fire off.

For a deeper dive (pun intended) on additional nudibranchs that resemble Pokémon characters, check out this fun video:

I know they’re adorable, but watch out!

IRL, They’re not as cute as they look!

A bolt of brilliance! I hope you enjoyed learning about August’s awesome NUDI GILL PIN-UP, Thecacera pacifica, aka the Pikachu nudibranch. Stay tuned for September’s sassy supermodel.

As always, I choose you!

Bonnie

Bonnie Kelso writes and illustrates books for children and adults that encourage individualism and brave self-expression. She facilitates art workshops for her local community and beyond. Her debut picture book, NUDI GILL, releases in March, 2023. A lover of nature and travel, she often wanders about outside with her family whenever an excellent opportunity to do so presents itself.

NUDI GILL PIN-UP: Spanish Shawl

| Bonnie Kelso

With July coming to a close, I thought I’d share some thoughts about this colorful firework of the sea, the Flabellinopsis iodinea nudibranch! I know that’s quite a mouthful of vowels. I guess that’s why a lot of people call this little creature the Spanish Shawl instead.

Flabellinopsis iodinea

Jerry Kirkhart from Los Osos, Calif.

Oooooooh! Ahhhhhhh!

The Spanish Shawl is a species of aeolid nudibranch. I know, I know, more vowels. The aeolid suborder of nudibranch is the second largest next to the dorid nudibranchs. They typically have long tapered bodies, long cephala tentacles on their heads that are distinctly separate from their rhinophores, and clusters of creata respiratory organs that run along their back. Those are the bright orange bits on the photo above.

All these fancy body parts are not only beautiful, but functional as well. Let’s start with those cerata! They do double duty as respiratory system and digestive system. Can you imagine your lungs and stomach in one place? The cerata extract oxygen from the sea water, but they also store stinging cells absorbed through the sea sponges they eat. If a predator tries to eat the nudibranch, the cerata will release the harvested poison within.

Taken in Scripps Canyon, La Jolla, California by Magnus Kjærgaard Category:Opisthobranchia

The nudibranch’s rhinophores sense smell and vibrations in the water. These sensory organs are connected directly to the nudibranch’s brain. The long cephala tentacles are used in a tactile way, feeling around the nudibranch’s environment for food. They wave them ahead as they move forward. This is especially helpful, because a nudibranch has very poor eyesight.

Check out this neat video of Flabellinopsis iodinea in action. They even do a bit of free swimming at the end!

What a Face!

I hope you enjoyed learning about July’s explosively colorful NUDI GILL PIN-UP, Flabellinopsis iodinea, aka the Spanish Shawl. Stay tuned for August’s amazing supermodel.

I vowel to make it worth your time.

Bonnie

Bonnie Kelso writes and illustrates books for children and adults that encourage individualism and brave self-expression. She facilitates art workshops for her local community and beyond. Her debut picture book, NUDI GILL, releases in March, 2023. A lover of nature and travel, she often wanders about outside with her family whenever an excellent opportunity to do so presents itself.