Paper bubble snail (Hydatina)

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Phylum Mollusca > Class Gastropoda > sea slugs > Order Cephalaspidea

Paper bubble snail
Hydatina sp.
Family Aplustridae
updated May 2020

Where seen? These beautiful snail is sometimes seen on our Northern shores. It was previously placed in Family Hydatinidae.

Features: 1-4cm. Shell smooth globular may be thin, usually with colourful spirally stripes. The body mantle is much larger than the shell and held in frills. It lacks an operculum. The animal can withdraw completely or almost completely into its shell.

What does it eat? It feeds exclusively on Spaghetti worms (Family Cirratulidae), swallowing them whole and incorporating the toxins of their prey for their own defence.

Chek Jawa, Apr 08
Photo shared by Toh Chay Hoon on flickr.

Pasir Ris Park, Dec 18
Photo shared by Carol Phillips on facebook.

Chek Jawa, Jan 14
Photo shared by Loh Kok Sheng on facebook.

Family Aplustridae recorded for Singapore
from Tan Siong Kiat and Henrietta P. M. Woo, 2010 Preliminary Checklist of The Molluscs of Singapore.
^from WORMS

Family ^Aplustridae=Hydatinidae (paper bubble snails)

Hydatina albocincta
Hydatina zonata

Links

The Sea Slug Forum by Dr Bill Rudman: including descriptions and photos of various bubble snails.
Hydatina albocincta and Hydatina zonata on SeaLife Base.
Family Hydatinidae on The Gladys Archerd Shell Collection at Washington State University Tri-Cities Natural History Museum website: brief description and photos.

References

Tan Siong Kiat. 24 July 2015. A record of the white banded bubble Hydatina albocincta in Singapore. Singapore Biodiversity Records 2015: 104
Tan SK, Low MEY, Nguang LHS & Toh CH (2014) Singapore Mollusca: 8. The family Aplustridae (Gastropoda: Heterobranchia: Acteonoidea). Nature in Singapore, 7: 121–127.
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.
Gosliner, Terrence M., David W. Behrens and Gary C. Williams. 1996. Coral Reef Animals of the Indo-Pacific: Animal life from Africa to Hawaii exclusive of the vertebrates Sea Challengers. 314pp.

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