Aplysia vaccaria
| Aplysia vaccaria | |
|---|---|
.JPG) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| (unranked): | clade Heterobranchia clade Euthyneura clade Euopisthobranchia clade Aplysiomorpha |
| Superfamily: | Aplysioidea |
| Family: | Aplysiidae |
| Genus: | Aplysia |
| Species: | A. vaccaria |
| Binomial name | |
| Aplysia vaccaria Winkler, 1955 | |
Aplysia vaccaria, also known as the black sea hare and California black sea hare, is a species of extremely large sea slug, a marine, opisthobranch, gastropod mollusk in the family Aplysiidae.[1]
This is the largest sea slug species.[2]
Distribution
This sea hare species lives in the northeast Pacific off California, United States and Baja California, Mexico, including the Gulf of California.[3]
Description
The black sea hare can grow to be very large: the longest recorded specimen measured 99 cm (39 in) when crawling (and thus fully extended), and weighed nearly 14 kg (31 lb).[3]
Unlike Aplysia californica, the body of this species is relatively firm, and the parapodia are joined behind the siphon.[3]
Unlike many other members of the same family and genus, this species is incapable of producing ink.
Feeding habits
All Aplysia species are herbivorous. This species eats brown seaweeds and kelp, which give the animal its typically very dark coloration.
References
- ↑ Bouchet, P. (2011). Aplysia vaccaria Winkler, 1955. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=568031 on 2012-03-31
- ↑ Slug Site: Aplysia vaccaria. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
- 1 2 3 Sea Slugs: Aplysia vaccaria. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
- Bebbington A. (1977) Aplysiid species from Eastern Australia with notes on the Pacific Ocean Aplysiomorpha (Gastropoda, Opisthobranchia). Transactions of the Zoological Society of London 34: 87-147.
- Turgeon, D.; Quinn, J.F.; Bogan, A.E.; Coan, E.V.; Hochberg, F.G.; Lyons, W.G.; Mikkelsen, P.M.; Neves, R.J.; Roper, C.F.E.; Rosenberg, G.; Roth, B.; Scheltema, A.; Thompson, F.G.; Vecchione, M.; Williams, J.D. (1998). Common and scientific names of aquatic invertebrates from the United States and Canada: mollusks. 2nd ed. American Fisheries Society Special Publication, 26. American Fisheries Society: Bethesda, MD (USA). ISBN 1-888569-01-8. IX, 526 + cd-rom pp. page(s): 122