Articles

By Jeff De Guzman

Phyllodesmium rudmani is a very unique nudibranch that mimics Xenia coral. The only way you can tell if it is a nudibranch is that it has rhinopores. Technically, it is distinguished by the cerata having long cylindrical stalks with a swollen region on top. That distended region has about 8, white, longitudinal ridges separated by deep, brown or brownish purple grooves. Thus each ceras mimics a polyp of the soft coral Xenia (the specific host food of this species) with its tentacles closed together.

1. In general Nudibranchs are very small ( 1mm to 4 inches) - closeup filters and wet diopters are a must to help fill the frame with the subject.

Examples of quality closeup filters that will produce minimal chromatic aberrations

• Subsee Adapter from ReefNet - a +10 wet diopter, giving over 2:1 magnification with 100/105mm lenses.
  
  
• Woody Diopter - 25% magnification
  
  
• Macro Mate - provdes a 2:1 ratio on a Canon 100mm or Nikon 105 mm lens
  

2. Avoid shooting Nudibranchs from the top down, a head on shot is more dramatic and esthetically more pleasing.

3. Employ the the diagonal lines, try to position the gills on the top left of the frame and rhinophores on the bottom right. Sometimes, this not be possible due to the position of the Nudibranch - a quick "Flip Horizontal Canvas" in Photoshop should do the trick.

5. Glide very slowly over the sand or reef, keeping your eyes peeled for any movement. Periodically stop and hold very still, when you exhale observe any sudden movements on the reef or sand.