Two other, very beautiful, species from ROSEBUD WHALE FALL (for Scripps Oceanography.)
On the vignette: the iridescent scaleworm genus mallicacephala living on the skin of its host, the purple sea cucumber Pannychia.
The “gold spheres” surrounding the scaleworm in the vignette are the retracted purple tube feet of the Pannychia.
The Pannychia is called out on the right. You can see the little worm on the host.
Pannychia can be up to two feet in length.
are dozens of layers of transparency in this image; it took me for-friggin’-ever to paint it!