Nudibranch; Red Netted
Chromodoris tinctoria
Red-netted nudibranchs are a very common species to find beneath Busselton Jetty and they have a wide distribution throughout the Indo-Pacific region, extending through all Australian waters except Victoria and Tasmania. It can be found on reefs and prefers sheltered or moderately exposed coasts in depths of 0-30m. They are part of the Family Chromodorididae, a group of very colourful and widely distributed nudibranchs. The colouration of the Red-netted nudibranch is varied over its range, but predominantly has a creamy coloured body with a red criss-cross pattern along the back. It can grow to about 8cm long. The mantle may be frilled or not and usually has orange yellow spots around the mantle edge. The rhinophores and gills can be tinged with red, orange or white. During the breeding season groups of animals congregate together.
Occurrence at the Busselton Jetty:
Red-netted nudibranchs are a common sighting from the Observatory windows down on the sea floor. This large nudibranch species can be seen crawling on the base ledge, on and around the windows or sometimes on the jetty piles close to the building. They can move quite quickly if they are in the mood!
Image by: A. Brown
