Marine Invertebrates
Total Species Count (all invertebrates): 244
This page will be continuously updated as I continue encountering new species & taking photos of old friends.
For more check out my photography account on Instagram or my account on Bluesky.
Updated 1.11.26
Segmented Worms
Phylum: Annelida
Phragmatopoma californica // California Sandcastle Worm
Serpula columbiana // Red-trumpet Calcareous Tubeworm
Spirobranchus spinosus // California Christmas Tree Worm
Crustaceans
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Crustacea
Not pictured:
Pagurus granosimanus // Grainy Hermit Crab
Calcinus laevimanus // Left-handed Hermit Crab
Calcinus seurati // Seurat's Hermit Crab
Cancer productus // Red Rock Crab
Cycloxanthops novemdentatus // Ninetooth Pebble Crab
Emerita analoga // Pacific Sand Crab -- Photo Credit: Nate Kenny
Grapsus longitarsis // Long-tarsus Sally-Lightfoot
Hemigrapsus nudus // Purple Shore Crab
Hemigrapsus oregonensis // Yellow Shore Crab -- Photo Credit: Nate Kenny
Heptacarpus brevirostris // Stout Coastal Shrimp
Heptacarpus sitchensis // Red-banded Transparent Shrimp
Leptuca crenulata // Mexican Fiddler Crab
Ligia occidentalis // Western Sea Slater
Ligia pallasii // Sleepy Seaslater -- Photo Credit: Nate Kenny
Lysmata californica // Red Rock Shrimp
Metacarcinus anthonyi // Yellow Rock Crab
Metacarcinus gracilis // Graceful Rock Crab
Pachygrapsus crassipes // Striped Shore Crab
Pachygrapsus plicatus // Pleated Rock Crab
Pagurus hirsutiusculus // Pacific Hairy Hermit Crab
Pagurus samuelis // Blueband Hermit Crab
Pagurus venturensis // Ventura Hermit Crab
Panulirus interruptus // California Spiny Lobster
Paraconcavus pacificus // Red-striped Acorn Barnacle
Pentidotea resecata // Eelgrass Isopod
Pentidotea wosnesenskii // Rockweed Isopod
Petrolisthes cabrilloi // Cabrillo Porcelain Crab
Petrolisthes cinctipes // Flat Porcelain Crab -- Photo Credit: Yueqi Wang
Pollicipes polymerus // Gooseneck Barnacle
Pugettia producta // Northern Kelp Crab
Pugettia producta // Northern Kelp Crab Eggs
Romaleon antennarium // Pacific Rock Crab
Taliepus nuttallii // Southern Kelp Crab
Tetraclita rubescens // Pink Volcano Barnacle
Uca princeps // Large Mexican Fiddler Crab
Bryozoan
Phylum: Bryozoa
Jellyella tuberculata // Sargassum Sea Mat
Cnidarians
Phylum: Cnidaria
Not pictured:
Chrysaora colorata // Purple-striped Sea Nettle
Anthopleura artemisia // Moonglow Anemone
Anthopleura elegantissima // Aggregating Anemone
Anthopleura mariae
Anthopleura sola // Sunburst Anemone
Anthopleura xanthogrammica // Giant Green Anemone
Astrangia haimei // Aggregating Cup Coral
Aulactinia incubans // Warty Columned Anemone
Balanophyllia elegans // Orange Cup Coral
Corynactis californica // Californian Strawberry Anemone
Epiactis prolifera // Brooding Anemone
Exaiptasia diaphana // Pale Anemone
Halcampa decemtentaculata // Ten-tentacled Burrowing Anemone
Polyorchis penicillatus // Red-eye Medusa
Porpita porpita // Blue Button
Urtibrina clandestina // Pacific Stubby Rose Anemone -- Photo Credit: Yueqi Wang
Urtibrina rimicola
Urticina grebelnyi // Painted Anemone
Velella velella // By-the-wind Sailor
echinoderms
Phylum: Echinodermata
Amphipholis squamata // Dwarf Brittle Star
Apostichopus parvimensis // Warty Sea Cucumber
Colobocentrotus atratus // Shingle Urchin
Cucumaria miniata // Orange Sea Cucumber
Dendraster excentricus // Eccentric Sand Dollar
Echinometra mathaei // Indo-Pacific Rock-boring Urchin
Echinometra oblonga // Oblong Sea Urchin
Mesocentrotus franciscanus // Red Sea Urchin
Ophioderma panamense // Panama Serpent Star
Ophionereis annulata // Banded Brittle Star
Ophionereis diabloensis // Diablo Brittle Star
Ophiopteris papillosa // Flat-spined Brittle Star
Ophiothrix rudis // Rough Banded Brittle Star
Ophiothrix spiculata // Western Spiny Brittle Star
Strongylocentrotus purpuratus // Pacific Purple Sea Urchin
Sea Stars
Phylum: Echinodermata
Subphylum: Asterozoa
Class: Asteroidea
Astrometis sertulifera // Fragile Rainbow Star
Dermasterias imbricata // Leather Star
Evasterias troschelii // Mottled Star
Henricia pumila // Dwarf Mottled Henricia
Patiria miniata // Bat Star
Pisaster brevispinus // Giant Pink Sea Star
Pisaster giganteus // Giant Sea Star
Pisaster ochraceus // Ochre Sea Star
Molluscs
Phylum: Mollusca
Not pictured:
Lottia limatula // File Limpet
Lepidozona mertensii // Merten’s Chiton
Acanthinucella spirata // Angular Unicorn
Alia carinata // Carinate Dovesnail
Aplysia californica // California Seahare
Aplysia vaccaria // Black Seahare
Berthellina ilisima // Engel's Gumdrop -- Photo Credit: Miguel Hernandez
Bulla gouldiana // Cloudy Bubble Snail
Caesia perpinguis // Fat Nassa
Californiconus californicus // California Cone
Callianax biplicata // Purple Olive Snail
Crassadoma gigantea // Giant Rock Scallop
Crepipatella lingulata // Pacific Half-slipper Snail
Cryptochiton stelleri // Gumboot Chiton
Cyanoplax hartwegii // Hartweg's Chiton
Diodora aspera // Rough Keyhole Limpet
Discurria insessa // Seaweed Limpet
Fissurella volcano // Volcano Keyhole Limpet
Haliotis fulgens // Green Abalone
Haminoea virescens // Green Bubble Snail
Hydatina amplustre // Pink Bubble Snail
Katharina tunicata // Black Leather Chiton
Kelletia kelletii // Kellet's Whelk
Lepidozona cooperi // Cooper's Chiton -- Photo Credit: Nate Kenny
Leptopecten latiauratus // Kelp Scallop
Lottia gigantea // Owl Limpet
Lottia scabra // Rough Limpet -- Photo Credit: Nate Kenny
Megathura crenulata // Giant Keyhole Limpet
Megastraea undosa // Wavy Turban
Mexacanthina lugubris // Dark Unicorn
Mopalia lignosa // Woody Chiton
Mopalia muscosa // Mossy Chiton
Mytilus californianus // California Mussel
Navanax inermis // California Aglaja
Neobernaya spadicea // Chestnut Cowry
Norrisia norrisii // Norris's Topsnail
Nucella lamellosa // Frilled Dogwinkle
Nucella lamellosa // Frilled Dogwinkle Eggs
Nuttallina californica // California Spiny Chiton
Parapholas californica // Scale-sided Piddock
Praestheceraeus bellostriatus // Hawaiian Snakehead Cowrie
Pteropurpura festiva // Festive Murex
Pusula solandri // Solander's Trivia
Stenoplax conspicua // Conspicuous Chiton
Tectura paleacea // Surfgrass Limpet
Tegula funebralis // Black Tegula
Tegula gallina // Speckled Tegula
Thylacodes squamigerus // Scaled Worm Snail
Tonicella lineata // Lined Chiton
Tylodina fungina // Yellow Umbrella Slug
Octopus bimaculoides // Lesser Two-spot Octopus
Volvarina taeniolata // California Marginella
Sapsuckers
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Superorder: Sacoglossa
Aplysiopsis enteromorphae // Entermorpha-eating Sapsucker
Elysia hedgpethi // Hedgpeth's Sapsucker
Nudibranchs
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Order: Nudibranchia
Acanthodoris nanaimoensis // Nanaimo Dorid
Acanthodoris rhodoceras // Black and White Dorid
Aegires albopunctatus // Salt-and-pepper Doris
Aeolidia loui // Warty Shag-rug Nudibranch
Ancula pacifica
Anteaeolidiella chromosoma // Colorful Aeolid
Anteaeolidiella oliviae // Olive's Aeolid
Antiopella barbarensis // Cockscomb Nudibranch
Antiopella fusca // White-and-orange-tipped Nudibranch
Austraeolis stearnsi // Stearn's Aeolid
Babakina festiva // Baba's Festive Aeolid
Baptodoris mimetica // Mimic Dorid
Bermudella angelensis // Los Angeles Goniodorid
Cadlina flavomaculata // Yellow-spotted Cadlina
Cadlina sparsa // Dark-spot Cadlina
Catriona columbiana // British Columbia Aeolid
Ceratodoris rosacea // Hopkin's Rose
Corambe pacifica // Pacific Corambe
Crimora coneja // Rabbit Dorid
Cuthona divae // Rose-pink Cuthona
Cuthonella cocoachroma // Chocolate Aeolid
Dendronotus subramosus // Stubby Dendronotid
Dendronotus venustus // Branched Dendronotid
Diaulula odonoghuei // Northern Leopard Dorid
Diaulula sandiegensis // San Diego Dorid
Dirona picta // Colorful Dirona
Doriopsilla albopunctata // White-spotted Sea Goddess
Doriopsilla gemela // Yellow-gilled Sea Goddess
Doriopsilla rowena
Doris montereyensis // Monterey Dorid
Doto urak
Felimare californiensis // California Chromodorid
Felimida macfarlandi // MacFarland's Chromodorid
Flabellinopsis iodinea // Spanish Shawl
Geitodoris heathi // Heath's Dorid
Hermissenda crassicornis // Horned Nudibranch
Hermissenda opalescens // Opalescent Nudibranch
Hermissenda opalescens // Opalescent Nudibranch Eggs
Limacia cockerelli // Cockerell's Dorid
Limacia mcdonaldi // McDonald's Dorid
Peltodoris nobilis // Noble Dorid
Orienthella cooperi // Cooper's Aeolid
Orienthella piunca // Fisher's Aeolid
Orienthella trilineata // Three-lined Aeolid
Tenellia albocrusta // White Crusted Aeolid
Thordisa bimaculata // Two-spotted Dorid
Triopha catalinae // Clown Dorid
Triopha maculata // Spotted Dorid
Tritonia festiva // Festive Tritonid
Rostanga pulchra // Red Sponge Dorid
Ribbon Worms
Phylum: Nemertea
Tubulanus ruber
Flatworms
Phylum: Platyhelminthes
Enchiridium punctatum
Praestheceraeus bellostriatus
Sponges
Phylum: Porifera
Aiolochroia thiona
Tunicates
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Tunicata
Aplidium californicum // Pacific Sea Pork
Botrylloides violaceus // Chain Tunicate
Ciona savignyi
Distaplia occidentalis // Mushroom Tunicate
Metandrocarpa dura // Fused Orange Social Ascidian
Metandrocarpa taylori // Taylor's Social Tunicate
Styela plicata // Pleated Sea Squirt