Details of the concentric rings of Ralfsia, with some missing patches (probably grazed). Cape Agulhas, Western Cape (2020). Ralfsia verrucosa can be considered an inactive taxon by some (for example, on iNaturalist). It is then replaced by Pseudoralfsia verrucosa. Forms flat patches or irregular, concentric rings. Brown, grading to khaki, with pale edges. About 1… Continue reading Ralfsia (Ralfsia verrucosa)
Category: Marine Life
Reticulated starfish (Henricia ornata)
A maroon reticulated starfish found in a rock pool on the shore. Port Alfred, Eastern Cape (2023) - iNaturalist Arms long, very gradually tapering and cylindrical. Color orange to maroon with an irregularly-honeycombed surface texture. Up to 90 mm across. Thought to feed on sponges by everting the stomach and digesting the sponge tissue in… Continue reading Reticulated starfish (Henricia ornata)
Scaly dogwhelk (Nucella squamosa)
Details of the operculum and the foot of the scaly dogwhelk. Unknown location, South Africa (2021). About 15 spiral ridges overlies longitudinal ridges, giving the shell a scaly (squamous) appearance.Operculum horny, brown-orange. Foot light orange, speckled white. About 35 mm. Occurs low on the shore or subtidally. Lays egg capsules resembling flat clubs. Shell usually… Continue reading Scaly dogwhelk (Nucella squamosa)
Dead-man’s finger (Splachnidium rugosum)
Wrinkling dead-man's fingers in a rock crevice. Hondeklipbaai, Northern Cape (2020) - iNaturalist Swollen yellow-brown, finger-like bladders, filled with thick, clear slimy mucilage, turgid when wet and becoming withered and wrinkled when dry. The main stipe is swollen with many similarly shaped side branches which are constricted at their point of origin and rounded at… Continue reading Dead-man’s finger (Splachnidium rugosum)
Coralline crust (Spongites spp)
Cochlear coralline crust covering a rock surface. Jacobsbaai, Western Cape (2020) - iNaturalist Cochlear coralline crust (Spongites yendoi) Hard, encrusting species of crustose coralline algae (Rhodophyta). Thallus relatively thin, mainly composed of filaments of small, often fused, squarish cells, with the lowermost layer up to eight filaments thick of mostly elongated cells. Chalky-white in color,… Continue reading Coralline crust (Spongites spp)
Cape reef-worm (Gunnarea gaimardi)
Cape reef-worm stuck in a rock crevice. Yzerfontein, Western Cape (2020). Previously known as Gunnarea capensis. Gregarious, forming massive intertidal reefs of sandy tubes. There is a double row of 40-50 stiff golden bristles on the head, forming a 'door' (operculum) that blocks the tube when the worm withdraws. Worms are about 50 mm long.… Continue reading Cape reef-worm (Gunnarea gaimardi)
Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis)
Mediterranean mussel bed surrounded by algae of all sorts. Yzerfontein, Western Cape (2020). Shell smooth, typically black or blue, shading to brown on the lower surface, but rarely light brown. Broad in cross-section and usually widest at base. Distinguished from Choromytilus meridionalis by pits in the resilial ridge. Up to 140 mm. Thought to be… Continue reading Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis)
Horseshoe sea cucumber (Roweia frauenfeldii)
Dug out horseshoe sea cucumber, with its U-shape, dark body, covered with shell bits and sediments. Doringbaai, Western Cape (2020) - iNaturalist Two subspecies are present in South Africa : Roweia frauenfeldii subsp. frauenfeldii on the West and South coasts, and R. frauenfeldii subsp. webbi on the East Coast. Body arched into a typical U-shape,… Continue reading Horseshoe sea cucumber (Roweia frauenfeldii)
Longhorn sea-slater (Ligia glabrata)
Sea-slaters on the underside of a boulder. Jacobsbaai, Western Cape (2020) - iNaturalist An air-breathing species with a broad, flattened, smooth body. Antennae are longer than in Ligia dilatata, reaching the end of the thorax. Pleon segments not fused, and end of the telson rounded. Uropods rod-like and projecting well beyond the body. Up to… Continue reading Longhorn sea-slater (Ligia glabrata)
Shore crab (Cyclograpsus punctatus)
Small crab in a rock crevice. Jacobsbaai, Western Cape (2020) - iNaturalist Carapace very smooth, except for a granular 'chest'. Sides of carapace convex, lacking marginal teeth, although a single low tooth lies just outside each eye. Nippers smooth. Body black or dark brown near the front, blending into a grey-green network towards the back.… Continue reading Shore crab (Cyclograpsus punctatus)
F*CK FISH 