Armina occulta

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Order: Nudibranchia
Family: Arminidae
Genus: Armina
Species: Armina occulta

Armina occulta is an arminid nudibranch, part of a group of flattened, slipper-shaped slugs that live mostly on sand and soft bottoms.

It is easy to spot by the long ridges running down its back, alternating dark and white, with a mantle edge trimmed in blue and orange. Like other Armina it has a broad oral veil at the front and a pair of rhinophores close together.

Armina species feed mainly on soft corals such as sea pens, so look for them on open sand and muck slopes where sea pens grow. They often stay partly buried, so a slow, careful search pays off. Keep your fins high to avoid stirring up silt before the shot.

It appears on page 182 of Nudibranchs of the Philippines.

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