Commonly called the Spanish Shawl, this large hydroid-eating species is very common and is one of the most striking nudibranchs we saw around the Channel Islands. They can be seen on just about any dive at the Channel Islands, and were also common on Camby's reef just outside Santa Barbara harbor. There is still controversy about the genus with some leaving it in Flabellina.
With eggs.
Mating.
The next two shots show the animal with or near its pink egg mass.
The specimen below was exposed on the substrate right where I dropped to the bottom on my first California dive.
Created 15 November 2008
Updated 15 September 2025
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