Other contributors

Sandrine Bielecki

Sandrine Bielecki. She began diving in 1990 at club de la Rague near Cannes (France). Diver level 4, she has accumulated over 3000 dives in almost all the seas of the world paying particular attention to the peculiarities of the ecosystems and resulting biodiversity. A few biology courses later, her passion for Opisthobranchs allowed her to write the book “Des Limaces de Rêve” with 3 photographer friends, many contributors and a committee of experts for scientific revision. She has provided invaluable assistance in the creation of this website. Thank you!

Gonçalo Calado

Gonçalo Calado (Lisbon, 1972). He began studying opisthobranchs during his Biology Degree studies at the University of Lisbon. Later, for the doctorate he obtained at the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain), he studied the ecology of two species of nudibranchs, one of which was new to science. He has collaborated with different teams studying opisthobranchs from several perspectives, and he has dived in many places in search of these creatures. He was President of the Board of the Portuguese Institute of Malacology between 2003 and 2009. He currently teaches Ecology and Marine Biology at the Universidade Lusófona of Lisbon and he is a recreational diving instructor.

Judith Camps

Judith Camps. Graduated in Marine Sciences by the University of Barcelona. She is currently studying the Master Program in Marine Ecology at the Catholic University of the Holy Conception, in Chile. The fields of research that interest her most are: the effects of herbivory and overfishing on ecosystems, the effects of climate change on the food chain, the use of stable isotopes to understand ecological responses, etc. She has published several articles, including one on the trophic plasticity of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series, or another about Polycerella emertoni, a new nudibranch species for the Ebro Delta, published in the magazine Mediterranean Marine Science. The ecology of nudibranchs is currently one of her main interests, given the limited information available regarding the feeding behavior, life cycles and other ecological parameters of this interesting group of marine mollusks.

Gilles Cavignaux

Gilles Cavignaux. He began diving in 2004 in Golfe Juan. Passionate, diver level 3, holding the title of Federal Instructor in Underwater Biology and amateur photographer, his photographs are now listed on the Doris site FFESSM and on the Côte Bleue web site. It is also the main contributor to the book “Des limaces de rêve”. Winner of “Les Yeux de Doris” in 2008, he has also published in the Octopus magazine and participated in the Hippocampus Survey which took place in the Thau lagoon (France).

Mickey Charteris

Mickey Charteris. Mickey Charteris has done thousands of dives all around the planet, but his real home is the island of Roatan, Honduras, where he has done almost 10,000 dives documenting the reef. His field guide “Caribbean Reef Life” was first published in 2012 and it is now into it’s 3rd edition with more than 1500 reef inhabitants identified and described. Mickey is still finding new things on every dive.
For more information visit www.caribbeanreeflife.com.

Josep Mª Dacosta

Josep Mª Dacosta (Figueres, 1962). He studied biology to answer the question “why nature bothered to create such beautiful shapes and colors?”. To find it out he became a sport diver and dived for over 10 years with the M@re Nostrum team. Fruit of that adventure was a first digital opisthobranch catalog and a paper on these molluscs monitoring in cala Caials in the Natural Park of Cap de Creus (Spain). He is no longer diving, so he has become “empordanologyst”, that is, a communicator devoted to spread the cultural and natural values of Empordà region (Girona, Spain). He has published several books on this line, including “La Tramuntana”, “Vèrtexs i miradors” and “Natura Litoral”.

Luis Ángel Díaz Álvarez

Luis Ángel Díaz Álvarez (San Juan de la Arena, Asturias, 1987). Born in a family related to the sea, on the shores of the Bay of Biscay. Degree in Biology by the University of Oviedo. He is scuba diving instructor, and combines his passion for underwater photography with environmental divulgation, sharing his  experiences and knowledge through lectures and publications. He won the Asturias Underwater Photography championship in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Contributes to the present web with excelent underwater pictures of little known species.

Mauro Doneddu

Mauro Doneddu (1955). Professionally a dermatologist, he was born and lives in Sardinia island, Italy. He spent most of his free time in the sea since he was 3 years old. He dives usually in the north-east of Sardinia, around the village of Porto San Paolo, but he has dived in many places around the Mediterranean and tropical seas (Red Sea, Caribbean, Mauritius, Zanzibar, Phuket, Sri Lanka, Southern India, Maldives). He is interested in malacology (not only opistobranchs) since 1975, and he has published many papers on this matter in several magazines and scientific journals, is co-author of some guide on this topic in Italian language as “Conchiglie del Mediterraneo”, “Conchiglie dal Mondo”, “Nudibranchi del Mediterraneo”, and has collaborated with photos or other contributes on several books by other authors. He is interested in many other aspects of the natural sciences, in particular marine biology in general, entomology, ornithology, botany, and is author of some guides related to the Nature of Sardinia, as “Farfalle di Sardegna” (butterflies of Sardinia) and “Orchidee di Sardegna” (wild orchids of Sardinia). He contributes to the present website with many interesting pictures and information on Mediterranean opisthobranchs.

Carlos Fernández-Cid

Carlos Fernández-Cid (Vigo 1962). Professionally an ophthalmologist and amateur underwater photographer. He discovered the world of diving back in 1992 and the underwater photography in 2007. He usually dives in the Galician “Rias” (inlets) and in the Costa Brava. His passion for opistobranquios emerges from the interest to know what he was photographying and cataloging the different species among his dive destinations. Contributes to the present website with interesting photos of Galician species. You may visit his picture gallery at Flickr.

Sara Fuertes

Sara Fuertes. Degree in Biology for the University of Barcelona, ​​Master in Oceanography and Marine Environment Management for the University of Barcelona, ​​with stays at the Universidad de La Laguna (Canary Islands), at the Universidad Austral de Chile as a research assistant, working in the effects of acidification in calcifying marine organisms, and in the Scientific Station Fundación Huinay (Puerto Montt, Chile) in the classification of benthic species. She has worked in the Natural Park of S’Albufera (Mallorca) evaluating the human environmental impact and invasive species, in the center of wildlife recovery of GOB Menorca, in the restoration and conservation of coral reefs in Koh Mak (Thailand). She has researched on oceanic acidification and paleoceanography at the ICM-CSIC of Barcelona. Specialist in Environmental Management, she has worked as Environment Technician for Ports de la Generalitat, for the EULS and in the implementation of a new system for the selective collection of urban waste for the CCB. Co-founder of the association Vidas Sostenibles. Connected to the sea since childhood, she has extensive experience in sailing and she is recreational boat patron. Divemaster PADI since 2015, she is a technical diver since 2016, year in which she also became part of VIMAR research group, participating in various submarine fauna sampling campaigns. Her main interest is the protection of ecosystems, especially the marine, but also all those in danger due to human pressure (plastics, climate change, non-sustainable economy, etc.). Her aim is to make this planet a better world.

José Carlos García Gómez

José Carlos García Gómez. Professor of Marine Biology at the Faculty of Biology of the University of Sevilla, he is an expert in taxonomy and ecology of coastal benthos, in marine bio-indicators, environmental evaluation, monitoring and preservation of the coastal environment and marine protected species. He is Director of the Marine Biology Laboratory and the Department of Zoology, Faculty of Biology, University of Sevilla, Chairman of the Governing Board of the Natural Park of the Strait, Academician of the “International Academy of Underwater Sciences and Techniques” and Responsible for the Environment of UNESCO Center of Campo de Gibraltar. He has directed 18 doctoral thesis, written several books and published, along with his collaborators, more than 200 works of specialized research in the most reputable international scientific journals. He has participated in oceanographic expeditions in Antarctica and in tropical areas of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. He is a diving instructor and expert in underwater scientific photography and macrophotography in controlled laboratory conditions. He has directed numerous research projects related to environmental initiatives to detect, mitigate or prevent environmental impacts on the marine environment, diagnosis and environmental monitoring of benthic communities subject to environmental stress, the designation of protected marine species and the creation of new protected spaces. He has received, among other awards, the Doctoral Extraordinary Award (1985), the City of Seville Award for Best Doctoral Thesis (83-84 school year), the Teaching Excellence Award from the University of Seville (2004), Andalusia Environmental Award (1996), the National Environmental Award (1997), the International Grand Prize for the Environment of the CMAS (UNESCO) (1997) and the Golden Trident to the Underwater Scientific Research (2011) awarded by the “International Academy of Underwater Sciences and Techniques”. Regarding scientific photography, he won the first prize at the Second National Contest of Scientific Photography (1982) and First Prize in the “First International Malacological Photography Competition” (1982).

Pascal Girard

Pascal Girard. Born in the French region of Montpellier, he discovered SCUBA diving quite late in his life, but he turned completely to this activity. Very quickly, he went on to video recording and marine biology, because he wanted to identify and understand everything he was observing … and that is what he continues to do nowadays… there is so much to discover! Doctor in Astronomy and Astrophysics. “Doridien” (regional responsible for centralizing information and publishing contents on the DORIS website) for the Pyrenees-Méditerranée region since late 2018. President of CDEBS 34 (Hérault). Trainer in Underwater Biology (FB1). Diver level 3 FFESSM. Rescue diver & Freediver PADI. Videographer and amateur photographer. Creator of the website L’Oeil Du Plongeur where he highlights, through HD videos, the richness and variety of the underwater biodiversity of Hérault. He also posts his photos on Instagram. He contributes to this website with videos of Mediterranean species.

Aketza Herrero

Aketza Herrero Barrencua. (1974): Degree in Marine Sciences for the University of Las Palmas and PhD in Ecology and Management of exploitable living resources, has conducted studies on the biology and ecology of several species of nudibranchs. Sports and professional diver with 20 years of experience, he has logged more than 3,000 dives. He combines his scientific research side with his professional environmental work, always related to the marine environment. Knowledgeable and in love with the seas surrounding the Canary Islands, he has been photographing its inhabitants for almost 10 years.

Erwin Köhler

Erwin Köhler. (Kassel, Germany, 1951). He became a naturalist when he was a little boy, and always loved to take pictures. He started started diving and uw-photography in 1989, and used to go as often as possible to the Mediterranean Sea and take pictures of marine sea slugs. He published these pictures and many more since 1998 at his website Mediterranean Slug Site. His profession was database administrator, he retired in 2005, and resides at the Philippines. After a stroke he had to quit diving, sea slugs are still his main hobby. He is the webmaster of www.Philippine-Sea-Slugs.com.

Steve Long

Steve Long. (1944). In 1969 he co-founded with Richard Roller the “Opisthobranch Newsletter” which Long continued alone from 1970 until 2008. He was also co-editor with Jack Brookshire of “Molluscan Digest” from 1971-1972, served as editor of the Western Society of Malacologists’ publication “The Echo” from 1985 to 1987, and is the author of the 2006-2007 PDF resource “Bibliography of Opisthobranchia 1554-2000”. He has been the producer and editor of the www.seaslug.com web site since 1996. He contributes to the present website with his valuable bibliographical information, collected for over 50 years.

Sergio López González

Sergio López González. (Granada, 1969). He works as a heavy vehicles mechanic. He begins in scuba diving in 1989, and since then he has accumulated over 3,000 dives as a sport and technical diver. He begins in the world of underwater photography in 1992, and soon it becomes his passion, together with marine biology. He has given talks in schools, colleges and diving centers to spread marine life knowlegde among youngsters. Author of underwater photography exhibitions, co-author of several books and numerous articles in underwater national and international journals. A lover and defender of the Mediterranean Sea, particularly of the coast of Granada, where he currently lives and that receives all the possible attention and time to study and learn about its flora and fauna. He contributes to this website with pictures of species from the Southern coast of Spain. Since 2008 he is the webmaster of www.GranadaSubmarina.org

Manuel Martínez Chacón

Manuel Martínez Chacón. (Algeciras, 1979) Nurse by profession. He started diving in Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain) in 2005, where he became fond of underwater photography, practicing for the almost two years he was living on the island. In 2007 he returned to Algeciras (Spain) where he began to dive at different sites of the Strait of Gibraltar, especially in Tarifa, debuting with an SLR camera and obtaining his first decent macro photographs, thus discovering the first Flabellina and other nudibranchs. He then realized of the different colors and shapes of the many seaslug species that inhabit that area, focusing his photographic attention to the search of these animals and record them in a graphic collection, while starting the project of creating a nudibranch guide of the Tarifa zone. He collaborates with several environmental monitoring projects like Ocean Eyes or MED PAN. He contributes to the present website with photographs of little-known species from the Strait of Gibraltar. Author of the book “Nudibranquios de la isla de Tarifa“.

Gary McDonald

Gary McDonald. (1947) He has studied nudibranchs for more than 40 years, with main interests in taxonomy, nomenclature and feeding preferences. He obtained his B.Sc. in 1970 from California Polytechnic State University; and M.A. in 1978 from Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. He was a marine biologist and computer specialist at Long Marine Laboratory, University of California at Santa Cruz, from 1976 to 2007. He retired in 2007 and is now a Research Fellow at Long Marine Laboratory.  Current interests include photography of marine invertebrates, insects and wildflowers; and maintaining an annotated bibliography of nudibranch publications. Some of his nudibranch related information can be read at: Nudibranch Systematic Index, Nudibranch Bibliography, and A List of the Worldwide Food Habits of Nudibranchs. He contributes to the present website with pictures of rare species and his extensive bibliographic work, base and inspiration of our own implementation.

Sonja Ooms

Sonja Ooms. She started diving in 2003 and became fascinated by all the colours and different creatures underwater and wanted to know what they all were. However, as everytime she surfaced she had trouble in remembering the details and colours of the subjects, she started in underwater photography in 2010. At that time she was living in the Philippines and went diving mostly in Anilao, a nudibranchs paradise. She just cannot get enough of the magnificent colours and forms of these creatures, so she does only macro-photography because there are so many species out there that hardly anyone can see because of their minuscule size. Contributes to the present website with interesting nudibranch pictures from the Eastern Mediterranean.

Marta Pola

Marta Pola Pérez (1976). Degree in Biological Sciences for the Universidad Autónoma of Madrid in 1999. Doctor of Biological Sciences (2006): Biodiversity in Nembrothinae nudibranch molluscs (Gastropoda, Opisthobranchia, Polyceridae). She currently teaches as Contracted Professor Interim Doctor at the Universidad Autónoma of Madrid and is associate professor at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco (USA). With more than 40 new species described from different nudibranch groups, she continues her investigations performing phylogenies based on morphological and molecular data and studying cryptic species, while actively diving around the world.

Jakov Prkić

Jakov Prkić (Split, 1957). Being born at Split, a town placed on the shore of Central Dalmatia, Adriatic Sea, he started to dive and collect the shells when he was just five years old. Since he was a child he has been interested in exploring the sea along the Croatian coast, from Dubrovnik to Istria, and he has never dived anywhere else. His passion for the study of the local malacofauna has been so strong that he abandoned his profession (Civil Engineer) 20 years ago, and since then he has been working in malacology exclusively. He has found and identified numerous species never recorded before in the Adriatic, and these data changed the general opinion about the species richness in the region, traditionally considered as an area with low molluscan biodiversity. More than 1000 molluscan species are recorded from the Adriatic, among which circa 260 species belong to Opisthobranchia. He has published several papers on Croatian gastropods, including the descriptions of some new species. He has just published a book about Croatian opisthobranchs and he is collaborating with some authors on several other projects. He contributes to the present website with pictures and information of Adriatic opisthobranch species.

Álvaro Pujals Paunero

Álvaro Pujals Paunero (1988). Degree in Biology by the Autonomous University of Barcelona in 2012. Master in Marine Sciences: Oceanography and Marine Environment Management by the University of Barcelona in 2013. He has recently conducted a study of the morphology, biodiversity, phylogeny and phylogeography of the genus Doto Oken, 1815 in the coast of Catalonia (Spain). Currently collaborates with the Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona within the Biology and Benthic Ecology Research Group. Contributes to the present website with his extensive knowledge of the genus Doto.

Bernard Picton

Bernard Picton (Amersham, England, 1951). Loved pond life and butterflies as a child. Studied Botany at Bristol University and learned to dive in 1970. Inspired with a love of nudibranchs by Tom Thompson and buddied Greg Brown, contributing discoveries to Linnean Society guides and Ray Society monograph on Opisthobranchs. Started working as a marine biologist and diver at Ulster Museum, Belfast in 1975. Surveyed the coast of Northern Ireland from 1982-85 for marine nature reserve selection and conservation. Published “A field guide to the nudibranchs of the British Isles” in 1994 and released this reference work as a website in 1995. On a career break at Trinity College, Dublin from 1993-97 he led the field team to classify biotopes and select areas for Natura 2000 site designation. Strong interest in the taxonomy and identification of nudibranchs and their food organisms, especially sponges, hydroids, sea anemones and tunicates. Still working part-time at National Museums Northern Ireland and diving, taking photographs, teaching and studying nudibranchs. He has authored two reference websites: Encyclopedia of Marine Life of Britain and Ireland and Nudibranchs of the British Isles.

Jordi Regàs

Jordi Regàs (Barcelona, 1970). Professionally a journalist, in his spare time he dives whenever possible. Sport diving instructor-monitor, he is actually the President of the Diving Club of Biology (CIB) of the Biology Faculty of the University of Barcelona. Underwater photographer since 2005, he is the curator of the CIB Species Guide, currently containing over 500 species descriptions of Mediterranean underwater fauna and flora. Contributes to the present web with several very interesting pictures.

José Templado

José Templado. He is a researcher at the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales in Madrid, belonging to the Spanish Research Council (CSIC). His research focuses on the study of marine biodiversity (especially gastropods, including opisthobranchs) and on conservation of the marine realm (marine protected areas, threatened species, alien species). He Currently carries out research on molecular phylogeny and phylogeography. He has been President of the Spanish Malacological Society and is on the editorial board of the series Fauna Iberica and of some journals, such as Iberus.

Luis Sánchez Tocino

Luis Sánchez Tocino. Degree in Biological Sciences by the University of Granada (Spain) where he obtained his PhD with a thesis on Doridoideans of the Granadian Coast. He currently teaches Marine Biology as an Associate Professor at this University and researches on opisthobranchs, kinorhynchans, entoprocta and invertebrate fauna associated with underwater caves. It has participated in several sampling campaigns on opistobranchs at Chafarinas Islands and Brazil. He has many publications on opisthobranchs and invertebrates and has co-authored or contributed to several books and magazines. He is a diver and amateur underwater photography. He has a website about opistobranchs of the coast of Granada. He contributes to the present website as scientific consultant and with pictures and videos about rare Mediterranean species.

Egidio Trainito

Egidio Trainito. (Padua, 1947) He lives in Sardinia, Italy. Nature photographer and consultant, he is mainly involved in national and international projects for sustainable development of tourism and for conservation in Protected Areas. As a freelance he has traveled the seas of the world and has put more than 4000 dives on his weight belt. Member of SIBM (Italian Society for Marine Biology), he is the author of many books on marine environments and Marine Protected Areas. For Il Castello editore he is the curator of a series whose most important titles are “Atlante di Flora e Fauna del Mediterraneo“, “Nudibranchi del Mediterraneo” and “Spugne del Mediterraneo“. Since 2005 he is author/consultant of the TV series Lineablu (RAI 1). He is one of Italy’s most reknowned underwater photographers. He contributes to the present website as scientific consultant and with excellent pictures about Mediterranean species.

João Pedro Silva

João Pedro Silva (Lisbon, 1971). He became interested in zoology at a very early age. Professional on Information Technologies, he keeps biology as his main hobby. On 2000 he began his underwater activity and soon became interested on nudibranchs. Since 2008, he is publishing a blog dedicated to the Portuguese opisthobranchs (Hypselodoris: Lesmas do Mar). He is conducting several seminars and workshops at many universities, museums and diving centers. He is the author, together with Gonçalo Calado, of the guide “Lesmas do Mar do Algarve” (ISBN 9789899640627) and his photographs have been published in several nudibranch species guides. He contributes to the present website with excellent underwater pictures of many Atlantic species.

Lluís Toll Salillas

Lluís Toll Salillas (1988). Degree in biology in 2012 by the University of Barcelona. He began studying mollusks in 2010, separating samples and identifying macroinvertebrates. He has revised several malacologic collections and he participates actively in literature research and database revision at INVERTEBRA.CAT. He is currently focused on the study of cephalaspidean opisthobranchs and he actively cooperates in the research of opisthobranchs in the Catalan coast through the UB and through the VIMAR group, of which he is one of the leading biologists. He began diving in 2007 and he has recently began underwater photography practice. Contributes to the presente website with interesting laboratory pictures of rare species.

Pero Ugarković

Pero Ugarković (Split, 1980). A marine biology and spearfishing enthusiast from an early age, he is very passionate about the popularization of science, sea life and sustainable fishing. Editor of the Croatian Facebook page Podvodni.hr, he’s always in search of new species in the Adriatic Sea. Collaborator in many ichthyological researches and papers, after meeting Jakov Prkić (also an OPK contributor) he became more interested and active in malacology. He recently found a new hobby: underwater macro photography.

Victoriano Urgorri

Victoriano Urgorri (Ferrol, 1951). BA and PhD in Biological Sciences from the University of Santiago de Compostela. Since 2002 he is Professor of Marine Zoology at the Facultade de Bioloxía USC where he teaches the subject “Zoology I (Invertebrates not Arthropods)” and those of “Marine Zoology” and “Sampling Techniques and Recognition of Organizations and Communities” in the Interuniversitary Master in Marine Biology. He is Director of the Estación de Bioloxía Mariña da Graña, a research center that USC has in the Ria de Ferrol, and Director of the Department of Social Projection and Scientific Culture in the International Excellence “Campus do Mar”. For more than 40 years he has been dedicated to the study of biodiversity of the Galician coast, having performed his doctoral thesis on Galician opisthobranchs, and he has published 138 articles, 10 books and 39 book chapters on Fauna, taxonomy, anatomy and ecology of littoral, bathyal and abyssal Invertebrates, mainly in the field of malacology (opisthobranchs, solenogastres, caudofoveata, monoplacophorans and poliplacophorans). He has participated in 47 research projects and in 19 scientific expeditions, mainly about the deep sea of the Atlantic Ocean, he has directed 15 doctoral thesis and lectured extensively. He is Associate Editor on Marine Biodiversity (International Journal of Senckenberg Nature Research Society). Diver since 1969, his rule is that most doctoral candidates had to be divers, so their research in the infralittoral has been always conducted with scuba diving.

Stefan Verheyen

Stefan Verheyen (1973). He’s from Belgium, but he dives every week in the Netherlands (Zeeland). He started diving in 2000, also in Holland. Despite his colourblindness, he noticed that he had a nose for finding macro life. But after 15 years diving and finding rare species, he noticed it was more interesting trying to take a picture instead of describing the things he saw, so in 2015 he bought his little camera (Olympus TG4). On holiday in Portugal he found very rare species of nudibranchs and this was the way to OPK.

Guido Villani

Guido Villani (Naples, 1956). A passionate diver since childhood, he participated in many underwater fishing competitions. Since 1982 he qualified in several national and international underwater photography contests. Marine biologist at the Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry of National Council of Research (CNR-ICB) in Pozzuoli (Naples), Guido has participated in many diving campaigns for sampling and photographic documentation in the Mediterranean and in several foreign countries. He collaborates with the Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Naples “Parthenope”, the Zoological Station “Anthon Dohrn” and the section of the Napolitan CoNISMa surveying underwater photos and video in Marine Protected Areas. Guido is the author of the photographic book CAMPANIA – Emozioni nel blu.

Boris Weitzmann

Boris Weitzmann. Marine biologyst and scuba diving instructor. He has worked as diving and snorkelling guide and instructor in Mallorca and Catalonia (Illes Medes). He conducts Marine Biology seminars for divers since 1992. He has worked for the University of Barcelona and in the Centre d’Estudis Avançats de Blanes of the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas performing marine monitoring in the catalan coast, in the Balearic islands and in France. He’s actually working for the marine area of the Parc Natural del Montgrí, Illes Medes i Baix Ter.

Peter Wirtz

Peter Wirtz. (1948) He studied biology at Munich and Bangor universities. He later became a university lecturer at Freiburg, Karlsruhe, Wilmington, Madeira, the Azores, Niteroi, Vitoria, and Freiburg again. Retired now, he still spends as much time as possible diving in the warmer parts of the Atlantic Ocean. See his publications on animal behaviour and on marine zoogeography at ResearchGate and many more opisthobranch photos at Medslugs. He contributes to the present website with pictures of species from the Atlantic islands.