Details of the spiral whorls of feeding appendages of the tube worm. Old Woman's River, Eastern Cape (2021) - iNaturalist Also known as the giant fan worm or by its former scientific name, Sabellastarte longa. Head crowned with two magnificent spiral whorls of feeding appendages. Commonly purple, white or orange. The absence of tiny external… Continue reading Giant feather-duster worm (Pseudobranchiomma longa)
Tag: Jacobsbaai
Colonial worm-shell (Dendropoma corallinaceum)
A colony of colonial worm-shell on a rock boulder. Jacobsbaai, Western Cape (2020) - iNaturalist A small gregarious species forming an intertwining mass of long, white, worm-like tubes, often sunken into encrusting coralline algae. Operculum present. About 10 mm long. A filter-feeder which spins a mucus net to trap floating particles. Two Oceans: A Guide… Continue reading Colonial worm-shell (Dendropoma corallinaceum)
Rayed limpet (Helcion pruinosus)
Rayed limpet with iridescent green spots and rays in a shallow rock pool. Port Alfred, Eastern Cape (2021) - iNaturalist Shell low, fragile and oval. Apex about one-third from the front margin. Surface smooth, pale brown, shot with beautiful iridescent green spots and rays. About 25 mm. Hides beneath low-shore boulders during the day, and… Continue reading Rayed limpet (Helcion pruinosus)
Ralfsia (Ralfsia verrucosa)
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)
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)
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)
Variegated topshell (Oxystele antoni)
Two snails cruising on a rock surface in a shallow pool. Doringbaai, Northern Cape (2020) - iNaturalist Previously know as Oxystele variegata. Shell rounded, about as tall as wide, smooth or with very gentile spiral ridges. Colour extremely variable, but typically tabby-patterned with irregular dark bands that run obliquely across a pale-yellow or greenish background.… Continue reading Variegated topshell (Oxystele antoni)
Brooding chiton (Radsia nigrovirescens)
Eroding adult chiton with the scale details on the girdle. Jacobsbaai, Western Cape (2020) - iNaturalist Previously Chiton nigrovirescens. Shell valves brownish-black with vague radiating ridges, girdle dark with large smooth scales, sometimes with a coppery sheen. 10 - 25 mm A small species found in groups under stones from the mid-intertidal downwards. Unusual in… Continue reading Brooding chiton (Radsia nigrovirescens)
Girdled dogwhelk (Trochia cingulata)
Whelk with spiral tube worms (Spirorbinae) and chiton on the shell. Jacobsbaai, Western Cape (2020) - iNaturalist Previously know as Nucella cingulata. White or blue-grey, usually girdled with 1 to 4 strong spiral ridges. About 30 mm. Common among mussels, drilling neat cylindrical holes through their shells. The mussels can, however, retaliate by binding the… Continue reading Girdled dogwhelk (Trochia cingulata)
F*CK FISH 