Skomer Marine Conservation Zone ( MCZ ) - Monitoring of Nudibranch Species dataset https://portal.medin.org.uk/portal/start.php?tpc=007_NRW_DS101840 In 2015 Skomer Marine Nature Reserve changed designation to Skomer Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ). Skomer Marine Nature Reserve (MNR) was designated in 1990. Nudibranchs are predators on a wide range of epibenthic species. Most are seasonal and reliant on their prey for food, shelter and a place to lay their eggs. Being near the top of the food chain they can act as an indicator of the health of the communities they rely on. Nudibranchs are a feature of the Skomer marine Nature Reserve (MNR) for which species diversity and the presence of reare or scarce species are attributes used to assess conservation status. As top predators they can act as an indicator of the health of the communities they rely on. Between 1975 and 1991 surveys of nudibranch diversity in the Skomer MNR were conducted as a series of identification courses/workshops at Dale Fort Field Centre and these showed species diversity to be high. 61 species of nudibranchs were recorded (Bunker Picton and Morrow 1993). The Skomer MNR team complete nudibranch species surveys every four years, these have been completed in 2002, 2006 and 2010. The Skomer MNRs nudibranch population have been identified as being rich and diverse with over 62 species including one nationally rare species and four nationally scarce species. The purposes for this data capture were to: - to produce a species list for the entire Reserve on a 4 yearly basis. - to record a minimum of 16 common species annually in the Skomer MNR from a check list. 20100606