Ever since February of this year, after I’d published my first collection of nudibranchs here, I’ve added a few more new species to my photographic database.
Most of the species below are new finds for me (since March), while the others are nudibranchs I didn’t include in the first collection because I didn’t spot them in Davao. Three species here are sea slugs, but not true nudibranchs; the two are, in fact, pleurobranchs. (I’ve decided not to include other slugs yet, such as sapsucking slugs, etc.)
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- Berthella martensi
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- Ceratosoma gracillimum
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- Ceratosoma tenue
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- Chromodoris cf. strigata
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- Flabellina exoptata
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- Glossodoris cincta
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- Goniobranchus fidelis
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- Goniobranchus kuniei
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- Halgerda batangas
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- Halgerda cf. willeyi
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- Hexabranchus sanguineus
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- Hypselodoris bollandi
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- Hypselodoris maculosa
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- Hypselodoris sp.
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- Mexichromis pusilla
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- Phyllidia babai
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- Phyllidia exquisita
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- Phyllidia marindica
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- Phyllidia willani
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- Phyllidiella annulata
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- Phyllidiopsis burni
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- Phyllidiopsis sphingis
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- Phyllodesmium briareum
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- Pleurobranchus forskalii
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- Pleurobranchus peronii
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- Thorunna daniellae
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- Trinchesia sibogae
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- Trinchesia yamasui
In total, I now have seventy nudibranch species in my collection!
Based on my observation, the three most common nudibranchs around Samal and Talikud Islands are Phyllidiella pustulosa (156 sightings), Phyllidia varicosa (76), and Phyllidiopsis shireenae (71). The first two I see on almost every dive, at all the dive sites I’ve been to in the gulf, and at various depths.
Dorids appear to be the dominant type of nudibranch here, and aeolids seem to prefer certain areas. For example, I only see Trinchesia yamasui at Dayang Beach (so far). The largest concentration of cerata-bearing nudibranchs, in my experience, is on the eastern side of Samal Island (Mushroom Rock, Punk Rock, Tagpopongan dive sites).
I’ve been recording my nudibranch sightings diligently, and I hope to be able to make sense of the data someday.
