I saw this vibrantly colored colonial hydroid in the water at Catalina Island LAST year, but had trouble identifying it until the NPR article note above came out. Porpita porpita. Mystery solved! I have never seen this before. It is north of its range at: found in the warmer, tropical and sub-tropical waters of the Pacific,[3] Atlantic, and Indian oceans, as well as the Mediterranean Sea and eastern Arabian Sea.[4] (Wiki) . I am expecting this will be the case with many tropical species as the water in our area warms. BTW, it did not survive in my home aquarium, which is set at a frosty 62 degrees.
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