Nembrotha milleri Gosliner & Behrens, 1997
80mm

We saw four of these on a single dive at Sombrero Island, then a bunch more on a couple of dives at current swept Mainit Point. The first two shots are from Sombrero.

On our first dive at Mainit Point in 2017, conditions were perfect, with no current or surge. Right out at the point, the reef wall was covered with the green colonial tunicates favored by these and several other Nembrotha species. Nembrotha milleri was the most common nudibranch there. We tried a return trip in 2018, but the current was running. We decided to risk it, thinking that because up the upcoming tidal change, the current would slack off. It didn't. I saw quite a few more specimens of N. milleri as I sailed past, but there was no way I could stop to take a photo. As the dive wore on, air ran low, and the current did not diminish, Jeanette and I picked up our pace to get fully around the point and out of the current, and we surfaced to await pickup by the boat in a nice calm spot. A couple of other divers in our group were not so lucky, surfacing in the raging current. Our experienced and competent boat crew were able to pick them up safely, but it could have turned out otherwise. You can't always trust the currents to go away when you expect them to.

Feeding on its green colonial tunicate prey.

Mating.

More mating. No wonder there were so many around.

Mating again.

Very small ones usually have some red spots that the lose with age.

Created 15 June 2015
Updated 14 December 2018

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