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Common Name: Red-Gilled Nudibranch

Scientific Name: Flabellina pellucida

Location found: Pump House Beach, About 20 feel below sea level

Habitat type: Found on algae and rocks from the low tide line and deeper. They range from the arctic to Cape Cod.

Physical description: They have many branchiae on their backs that have reddish to brown cores and are tipped with white. Their bodies are opaque to translucent white or yellow. They can be over 1 inch long.

Fun fact: They are often confused with Salmon-Gilled Nudibranchs but the Red-Gilled Nudibranch have deeper colored gills and are less common in Nahant, MA, as me and my classmates have found.

Source:
Marine Life of the Northern Atlantic - Martinez

1 of 2 found in rich shell drift by the tent camping area at Flamingo (Florida Bay), at the end of the Everglades National Park Road. I have never seen rupicola during multiple visits at this site until that day. According to Bruce Neville, this could be the 1st record from S. Florida (or at least the 1st such record that he or I are aware of). Generally the distribution of this species had previously appeared to be discontinuous from NE Florida to Collier or Lee County, SW Florida. Shell ca. 16.5mm

Large aggregations in low intertidal. There were very few egg masses, and time of year seemed wrong for egg laying. Originally posted on the legendary sea slug forum: http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/22650.

Found completely by chance while swimming at the beach near the Graduate School of Oceanography.
This specimen was on a rock less than a couple kg in weight. I just happened to notice it. I've collected from the nearby rocks many times and never seen one, and it's been several years since I've seen this species at any site in Rhode Island. The only site I used to find them at was under Succotash Bridge in Matunuck (at least a few years ago), so this was quite a surprise.