Underwater Photography by Jay Torborg 

"Tuberculous Dendrodoris"

The Dendrodoris family of nudibranchs use a long tube through which they secrete digestive enzymes into sponges, then suck up the partially-digested sponges. This specimen, Dendrodoris tuberculosa, is named for the tubercules (rosettes) that cover its back. One scientist says its secretions are irritating to people’s eyes.

This nudibranch was photographed at night in about 35 feet of water in a lava tube off the south Kohala Coast near the Mauna Lani Resort on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Photographed with a Nikon N90s in a Sea&Sea NX90 housing with two Ikelite 200 strobes. Nikon 60mm f2.8 macro lens. Fuji Provia 100F transparency film scanned with a Nikon LS-2000.

Copyright Jay Torborg  2001