Translucent Nudibranch

Photograph by Jennifer Hayes

Built to feed exclusively on corals like this spindly gorgonian, a translucent 1.7-inch-long (4.3-centimeter-long) Phyllodesmium iriomotense houses its branching digestive gland within tentacle-like cerata—outgrowths the animal can shed if under attack. This species is one of the few colorless nudibranchs.