#verongiida

[spongerard]

Red hair in the breeze as Aplysina fulva

[colorsoutofearth]

Yellow tube sponge (Aplysina fistularis)

Photo by Alex Mustard

[parakaryote]

Invertober days 17-21: European glowworm (well, a dragon based on it), Anna’s magnificent sea slug, yellow tube sponge, three-banded lady beetle, and strawberry squid!

[Image description: Five digital drawings.

Image 1: A wingless dragon based on the European glowworm. Most of its body is a pale peachy colour, except for the blunt-tipped horns, claws, and armour scales going down its back which are all dark brown. Its eyes are a bright yellow-green, as are the four-pointed stars on the tip of its thick tail and horns. Text below: Arthropoda • Insecta • Coleoptera • Lampyridae • Lampyris noctiluca

Image 2: An Anna’s magnificent sea slug, a sea slug with a blue and black body surrounded by a yellow and white “fringe”. Its antennae and cerata are orange. Text below: Mollusca • Gastropoda • Nudibranchia • Chromodorididae • Chromodoris annae

Image 3: A yellow tube sponge. It looks exactly as its name would suggest. Text below: Porifera • Demospongiae • Verongiida • Aplysinidae • Aplysina fistularis

Image 4: A three-banded lady beetle, a ladybug with five rectangular bands instead of spots, one going across the middle and two pairs at the sides. Text below: Arthropoda • Insecta • Coleoptera • Coccinellidae • Coccinella trifasciata

Image 5: A strawberry squid. It is red with bright green eyes of different sizes, the left being significantly larger than the right. Text below: Mollusca • Cephalopoda • Oegopsida • Histioteuthidae • Histioteuthis heteropsis

End ID.]

[spongerard]

NJ drag king as Branching Tube Sponge Aiolochroia crassa

[spongerard]

Filth Clown as Yellow Tube Sponge Aplysina fistularis