Selection: Hexabranchus sanguineus

Hexabranchus sanguineus (Rueppell & Leuckart, 1828) [Doris]

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Hexabranchus sanguineus is very variable in colour. At the Philippines this mottled variant is the most common. It is able to swim and is one of the largest nudibranchs. I have seen 3 specimens pretty deep at "Sunken Island", off Cebu Island which had at least 40 cm, they reached from my elbow to the finger-tips. At first sight I thought the gills are a bunch of algae. There is no picture of them, I was still working with the legendary NIKONOS-V, using 2-close-up sets for real macro shots (even only one of the 6 gills was very much too large). Shit happens, my dive buddy Klaus Stark had forgotten to replace the film in his camera...
Michael D. Miller has at his Slug Site some pictures by David Mulliner of the "Giant Spanish Dancers" as Opisthobranch of the week June 1998, These specimens were reported from Pescodor Island, off Moalboal, Cebu at 140 ft (~43 m) depth, their size was nearly two (2) feet (~50 cm).
When disturbed it unrolls its wide mantle skirt, here starting to unroll here it is unrolled.
I have posted more pictures of Hexabranchus sanguineus than usal, because I like to show this juvenile specimen, this almost adult (3,5 - 4 cm) specimen, this swimming specimen, and this specimen showing the oral tentacles.
More informations on Hexabranchus sanguineus are at Bill Rudman's Sea-Slug Forum!