Banded brittlestar under a boulder. Fishhoek, Western Cape (2020) - iNaturalist Disc granular, arms strikingly patterned with alternating dark grey and pink (or red) bands. Very short spines flank the arms. The lower surface of the disc has a single long genital slit on either side of each arm. About 45 mm. Lives under boulders… Continue reading Banded brittlestar (Ophiarachnella capensis)
Tag: Fishhoek
Ridged burnupena (Burnupena cincta)
Ridged burnupena cruising at the bottom of a rock pool and covered with patches of encrusting coralline algae. Fishhoek, Western Cape (2020). Shell robust. Outer surface with coarse spiral ridges, although West Coast specimens may lack these. Aperture about 1.5 times longer than the spire. Posterior end of outer lip strongly kinked inwards. Dull brown,… Continue reading Ridged burnupena (Burnupena cincta)
Blue coral-worm (Pomatoleios kraussii)
Blue coral-worm reef. Port St Johns, Wild Coast, Eastern Cape (2021). Also known as Spirobranchus kraussii. Gregarious, building massive blue colonies of interwoven tubes which are calcareous (a feature of the family Serpulidae). Head with two rows of feathery branches and a stalked operculum that has two pointed 'wings' and a flat calcareous cap. Worms… Continue reading Blue coral-worm (Pomatoleios kraussii)
Grey volcano barnacle (Tetraclita serrata)
Close-up of a grey volcano barnacle. Mouille Point, Cape Town, Western Cape (2020) - iNaturalist Tall, dark-grey and volcano-shaped, with only four strongly-ribbed shell plates, the edges of which are difficult to distinguish. About 20 mm. One of the dominant invertebrates in the mid-intertidal zone of moderately sheltered shores. Two Oceans: A Guide to the… Continue reading Grey volcano barnacle (Tetraclita serrata)
Crevice anemone (Anthopleura michaelseni)
Details of the spherules, and the long tentacles of the crevice anemone. Fishhoek, Western Cape (2020) - iNaturalist Also called long-tentacled anemone. Column with large sticky pads, to which shells and gravel adhere. Dark stripes usually radiate from mouth to the 96 long pink-to-brownish tentacles. Spherules present. Up to 150 mm in diameter, but commonly… Continue reading Crevice anemone (Anthopleura michaelseni)
Duck’s foot limpet (Scutellastra longicosta)
Two adult limpets surrounded by their algal garden. Fishhoek, Western Cape (2020). Also called 'long-spined limpet'. Shell star-shaped, with about 11 very long projecting ribs. Interior white or blue-white with a black edging. About 70 mm. Juveniles live on other shells, feeding on the encrusting alga Ralfsia. Sub-adults then move to the rock face and… Continue reading Duck’s foot limpet (Scutellastra longicosta)
Tulip chiton (Rhyssoplax polita)
Close-up of a tulip chiton on a bed of coralline algae. Port Alfred, Eastern Cape (2023) - iNaturalist Previously Chiton tulipa. An attractive chiton with smooth pink valves streaked and flecked with a wide range of brown patches and zigzags. Girdle striped, covered with large, smooth overlapping scales. Typically 30 - 40 mm. A well-known… Continue reading Tulip chiton (Rhyssoplax polita)
Red-chested sea cucumber (Hemiocnus insolens)
Subtidal sea cucumber deploying its tentacles, with details of the tube feet. Fishhoek, Western Cape (2020) - iNaturalist Previously known as Cucumaria insolens, Trachythyone insolens or Pseudocnella insolens. Colour diagnostic. Intertidal specimens may be dark above with a red 'chest', but subtidal ones are uniformly bright red. Tube feet scattered dorsally, but in three bands… Continue reading Red-chested sea cucumber (Hemiocnus insolens)
Spiny chiton (Acanthochitona garnoti)
Unfouled chiton on a rock, spines out. Fishhoek, Western Cape (2020) - iNaturalist Shell valves dull brown with oblique pale stripes, largely buried by the wide girdle. Girdle dotted with small spicules and with a series of nine pairs of characteristic tufts of long glassy spines. 30 - 45 mm. Unusual in that it is… Continue reading Spiny chiton (Acanthochitona garnoti)
Kelp Gull (Larus dominicanus)
Two kelp gulls - only one visible - on a rock along the coast. Stormsrivier Mouth, Western Cape (2018) - iNaturalist The largest gull in the region, also called the Dominican gull. Heavily built, with relatively short wings (folded wings do not project well beyond the tail tip), a robust bill, a steep forehead, and… Continue reading Kelp Gull (Larus dominicanus)
F*CK FISH 