Mini
sea hare
Aplysia parvula
Family Aplysiidae
updated
May 2020
Where
seen? This small, well camouflaged sea hare is seldom spotted.
Features: About 5cm. A long thin
body with a pair of small 'wings' in the middle and long oral tentacles
and rhinophores. The hole between the wings (called the foramen) is
large in this sea hare and is usually ringed in black. In other sea
hares, the foramen is microscopic. They come in a wide variety of
body colours but usually the 'wings' have a black edge and the tips
of the rhinophores and oral tentacles are dark.
It is among the smallest of the Aplysia sea hares, and 'parvus'
means 'little'. (It isn't the smallest sea hare: the seagrass
seahare (Phyllaplysia sp.) is much smaller).
Sometimes mistaken for the Leaf
slug (Elysia ornata) which is not a sea hare but a sap
sucking slug. The Leaf slug only has one pair of tentacles and its
'wings' are much longer, extending along most of the body length. |
Sisters Island, Feb 10 |
Rhinophore and oral tentacle tips dark.
Tiny eyes under the rhinophores. |
Large foramen ringed in black. |
Mini
sea hares on Singapore shores |
Other sightings on Singapore shores |
Links
References
- Tan Siong
Kiat and Henrietta P. M. Woo, 2010 Preliminary
Checklist of The Molluscs of Singapore (pdf), Raffles
Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore.
- Debelius,
Helmut, 2001. Nudibranchs
and Sea Snails: Indo-Pacific Field Guide IKAN-Unterwasserachiv, Frankfurt. 321 pp.
- Wells, Fred
E. and Clayton W. Bryce. 2000. Slugs
of Western Australia: A guide to the species from the Indian to
West Pacific Oceans.
Western Australian Museum. 184 pp.
- Kuiter, Rudie
H and Helmut Debelius. 2009. World
Atlas of Marine Fauna. IKAN-Unterwasserachiv. 723pp.
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