Beautiful Seaslugs

A few weeks ago I wrote of the fantastic wildlife my mum (Becky) and I uncovered on a rockpooling expedition at Bruichladdich. At the time I didn't include the Sea slugs which were awaiting identification. It turns out there are many of these nudibranches, including some very similar species in our waters, making this a challenging task. However, we have done our best, and here are some photos for you to enjoy. I have also added a picture of our ladybirds which are now all in the chrysalis stage and shall be emerging very soon. We will then decide whether to keep the adults for them to breed so we can enjoy the whole cycle again!

Chrysalised ladybirds

Facelina bostoniensis - a gorgeous sea slug with  pinkish shimmering cerata. This specimen laid eggs while in our care, which can be seen here as a long white thread from its head and emerging out of its body.

Facelina bostoniensis with mating Acanthodoris pilosa x2 to the left. We also had a Facelina auriculata which I didn't get a decent photo of. This is a dainty little purple sea slug, also very pretty.

Lorna

Sea slugs and Sea squirts

The spring tide means the biggest difference between low and high tide creating the perfect environment for keen rockpoolers such as myself and mum (Becky). This weekend was such a time, and our morning (and neglected lunch) were consumed with a thorough exploration of the sub littoral zone at Bruichladdich. This area, the very low shore and shallows, is a treasure trove for tiny gems often overlooked in rockpooling expeditions. These include sea spiders, sea slugs, sea sponges and sea squirts, all of which we found (with the exception of the sea spider this time). You may also remember 'Benny the Blenny' from last year, who I am pleased to report returned to our bucket and can be visited in the visitor centre sea tank once again! Here are some photos of our finds. I will post sea slug photos upon identification, and also add a species list in the mean time.

Orange lights sea squirt



Star ascidian. These come in beautiful variations.







Unidentified sea squirt





Ascidiella scabra





Unidentified sea squirt



Lorna