Closeup of a Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

Closeup of a Spanish Shawl Nudibranch (Flabellinopsis iodinea)

Spanish Shawl nudibranchs are among the most colorful denizens of the kelp forest, in red, orange and purple. The red feathery structures, are rhinophores: scent organs, used to seek out prey and mates. The black spot below is an eye spot--an eye without a lens. The mouth tentacles to the right are like fingers, for touch and manipulation. The orange cerrata along the back are for respiration, like lungs or gills. The aperture below is for sex. Spanish shawls are hermaphrodites, with both male and female sex organs. They are predators and dine on hydroids.