Cretana sp. (sea slug) | Mumbai

[Abhishek Jamalabad]

Yes, there are sea slugs in Mumbai's waters too. :) This was shot in a pool on one of the rocky shores in the city. This is a new species of Cretana that will be formally described and named soon. It is grazing on a hydroid colony (you can see the flower-like hydroid polyps at the upper left corner. The slug eats the hydroid's stinging cells in such a way that it can arm itself with these cells, and can subsequently use them against predators.

In spite of the bright colours, the slug can be hard to spot because it is very tiny (less than a centimetre long) and has a very specific niche and microhabitat preference.

Canon 760D, Canon 100mm Macro USM
SS 1/200
Av f16
ISO 800
Inbuilt flash fired

Thanks, comments and critique welcome.

[Mrudul Godbole]

Good to see this new species. The pose with the extended tentacle grabbing the cell looks nice. The orange spot on the white stands out. Thanks for sharing the detailed information.

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Very interesting find. Was the water flowing fast? Which area of Mumbai? Look forward to hearing the details of this species. There is so much more to discover. Hope they are not extinct before we know. Thanks for sharing.

Cheers,
Sabyasachi

[Abhishek Jamalabad]

Thanks Sabyasachi & Mrudul.

Sabyasachi - This was at Khar in Mumbai. It was in a tide pool right at the water's edge, and the rising tide started causing the water to flow a bit.