Aplysia dactylomela

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Aplysia dactylomela
Aplysia dactylomela.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Heterobranchia
Clade: Euopisthobranchia
Clade: Anaspidea
Superfamily: Aplysioidea
Family: Aplysiidae
Genus: Aplysia
Species:
A. dactylomela
Binomial name
Aplysia dactylomela
(Rang, 1828)
Synonyms

Tethys panamensisPilsbry, 1895

Aplysia dactylomela, the spotted sea hare, is a species of large sea slug, a marine opisthobranch gastropod in the family Aplysiidae, the sea hares. [1]

Contents

Distribution and taxonomy

As traditionally defined, this species of sea hare was cosmopolitan, being found in almost all tropical and warm temperate seas, [2] including the Mediterranean Sea where first seen in 2002 and likely self-established due to increasing temperatures. [3]

Based on genetic evidence, the population from the Indo-Pacific region is now recognized as a separate species, A. argus . This restricts the true A. dactylomela to the Atlantic Ocean region, including the Caribbean and Mediterranean. [2] [3] The appearance of the two species is very similar, although A. argus is more variable in colour and pattern. [2]

Description

The large black rings are very apparent on this juvenile spotted sea hare Sea hare, Aplysia dactylomela, 12 04 2009 2-13pm.jpg
The large black rings are very apparent on this juvenile spotted sea hare
Aplysia dactylomela taken out of water Aplysia dactylomela 2.jpg
Aplysia dactylomela taken out of water

The colour of the spotted sea hare is very variable, from pale gray to green, to dark brown. There are almost always large black rings on the mantle.

The maximum recorded length is 410 mm. [4]

Habitat

Aplysia dactylomela is commonly found in shallow waters, tide pools and rocky and sandy substrates, they also will be found feeding in beds of sea grass. During the day they will mostly hide under large rocks and in crevices. They usually stay in relatively shallow water, but they have been found as deep as 40 m. [5]

Minimum recorded depth is 0 m. [4] Maximum recorded depth is 3 m. [4]

Human use

The right giant neuron of Aplysia dactylomela, which is found in the abdominal ganglion, is similar to that of vertebrates, meaning it is ideal for the study of electrophysiology, as well as conditioned-response studies. These neurons have been found to be invaluable in neurological research; the reason for this is that long-lasting effects in neuronal behavior can be detected. [6]

Behaviour

The Aplysia dactylomela is capable of swimming and crawling. It accomplishes the former by creating a funnel using the parapodia folded forward and downwards; this action pulls in water. It then pushes the water out from behind the animal by pressing the anterior parts of the parapodia together, thus forward motion is achieved.

The sea hare's usual mode of propulsion is crawling; it crawls by lifting the front end of the foot, stretching it forward then placing it on the ground in front, creating an arching pattern; the remainder of the body follows this arching pattern until the tail is reached. [7]

Defense

Like the octopus, the Aplysia dactylomela squirts purple ink if it is disturbed; this ink is an irritant that causes 'altered behaviour' in other invertebrates and fish. [8] Their leathery skin contains toxins which make this sea hare practically inedible to most predators. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California sea hare</span> Species of gastropod

The California sea hare is a species of sea slug in the sea hare family, Aplysiidae. It is found in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of California in the United States and northwestern Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anaspidea</span> Clade of gastropods

The clade Anaspidea, commonly known as sea hares, are medium-sized to very large opisthobranch gastropod molluscs with a soft internal shell made of protein. These are marine gastropod molluscs in the superfamilies Aplysioidea and Akeroidea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Opisthobranchia</span> Informal group of gastropods

Opisthobranchs is a now informal name for a large and diverse group of specialized complex gastropods which used to be united in the subclass Opisthobranchia. That taxon is no longer considered to represent a monophyletic grouping.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aplysiidae</span> Family of gastropods

Aplysiidae is the only family in the superfamily Aplysioidea, within the clade Anaspidea. These animals are commonly called sea hares because, unlike most sea slugs, they are often quite large, and when they are underwater, their rounded body shape and the long rhinophores on their heads mean that their overall shape resembles that of a sitting rabbit or hare. Sea hares are however sea snails with shells reduced to a small plate hidden between the parapodia, and some species are extremely large. The Californian black sea hare, Aplysia vaccaria is arguably the largest living gastropod species, and is certainly the largest living heterobranch gastropod.

<i>Bursatella leachii</i> Species of gastropod

Bursatella leachii, whose common name is the ragged sea hare or shaggy sea hare, is a species of large sea slug: a marine gastropod mollusk in the sea hare family Aplysiidae. It has an almost pantropical distribution, from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean, but excluding the central and eastern Pacific Ocean. Its long planktonic larval period and short life cycle make able to colonise new areas and increase dramatically in number if food supplies are favourable.

<i>Notarchus</i> Genus of molluscs

Notarchus is a genus of sea slugs or sea hares, marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusks in the family Aplysiidae, the sea hares.

<i>Aplysia</i> Genus of sea slugs

Aplysia is a genus of medium-sized to extremely large sea slugs, specifically sea hares, which are a kind of marine gastropod mollusk.

<i>Stylocheilus</i> Genus of gastropods

Stylocheilus is a genus of sea slugs, specifically sea hares, marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusks in the family Aplysiidae, the sea hares.

<i>Syphonota geographica</i> Species of gastropod

Syphonota geographica, or the geographic sea hare, is a species of sea slug or sea hare, a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusk in the family Aplysiidae, the sea hares.

<i>Dolabrifera dolabrifera</i> Species of gastropod

Dolabrifera dolabrifera is a species of sea hare, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Aplysiidae, the sea hares. Dolabrifera dolabrifera, otherwise known as a Warty Seacat. The animal goes by many names, including the common sea hare. The Hawaiian name for Dolabrifera dolabrifera, is Kualakai.

<i>Aplysia fasciata</i> Species of gastropod

Aplysia fasciata, common name the "mottled sea hare", or the "sooty sea hare", is an Atlantic species of sea hare or sea slug, a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusk in the family Aplysiidae.

Aplysia extraordinaria, common name the "extraordinary sea hare", is a very large species of sea slug, more specifically a sea hare, a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusk in the family Aplysiidae, the sea hares.

<i>Aplysia juliana</i> Species of gastropod

Aplysia juliana, the walking sea hare, is a species of sea hare, a marine gastropod in the family Aplysiidae.

<i>Aplysia punctata</i> Species of gastropod

The spotted sea hare is a species of sea slug in the family Aplysiidae, the sea hares. It reaches a length of up to 20 cm (7.9 in) and is found in the northeast Atlantic, ranging from Greenland and Norway to the Mediterranean Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dwarf sea hare</span> Species of gastropod

The dwarf sea hare or pygmy sea hare, Aplysia parvula, is a species of sea hare, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Aplysiidae.

<i>Aplysia vaccaria</i> Species of gastropod

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. It is the largest sea slug species.

Aplysia morio, the Atlantic black sea hare or sooty sea hare, is a species of sea slug, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Aplysiidae, the sea hares. It lives in warm waters in the Caribbean Sea and off the south and southeastern coast of the United States, where it feeds on seaweed.

<i>Aplysia argus</i> Species of gastropod

Aplysia argus is a species of gastropod mollusc in the genus Aplysia, native to the Indo-Pacific region. The common name for Aplysia argus is the White speckled sea hare.

<i>Aplysia gigantea</i> Species of mollusc in the family Aplysiidae

Aplysia gigantea is a species of sea slug, a shell-less marine gastropod mollusk in the family Aplysiidae. The species was first described in the Journal of the Malacological Society of Australia in 1869. A. gigantea is also known more commonly as the sea hare due to their posterior chemosensory tentacles resembling a hare's ear. A. gigantea is the largest known species in Australia of the opisthobranch genus. The species is known to have toxic effects on terrestrial organisms, particularly domestic dogs. Exposure to this species with dogs has been associated with the development of neurotoxicosis, with symptoms ranging from respiratory distress to tremors, muscle fasciculations, and seizures.

References

  1. ↑ Aplysia dactylomela Rang, 1828 . Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species  on 8 January 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 Alexander, and Valdés (2013). The ring doesn’t mean a thing: Molecular data suggests a new taxonomy for two Pacific species of sea hares (Mollusca, Opisthobranchia, Aplysiidae). Pacific Science 67: 283–294.
  3. 1 2 Valdés, Alexander, Crocetta, Yokeş, Giacobbe, Poursanidis, Zenetos, Cervera, Caballer, Galil, and Schembri (2013). The origin and dispersal pathway of the spotted sea hare Aplysia dactylomela (Mollusca: Opisthobranchia) in the Mediterranean Sea. Aquatic Invasions 8(4): 427–436.
  4. 1 2 3 Welch J. J. (2010). "The "Island Rule" and Deep-Sea Gastropods: Re-Examining the Evidence". PLoS ONE 5(1): e8776. doi : 10.1371/journal.pone.0008776.
  5. ↑ Sterrer, Wolfgang. 1986. Marine Fauna and Flora of Bermuda. A Wiley-Interscience Publication.
  6. ↑ Corning, W., J. Dyal. 1973. Invertebrate Learning: Volume 2. New York: Plenum Press.
  7. ↑ "Aplysia dactylomela".
  8. ↑ Carefoot, T.H, S.C. Pennings, Jean Paul Danko. 1999. A test of novel function(s) for the ink of sea hares. J. Exp. Mar. Bio. Ecol. 234 (2):185.
  9. ↑ "Spotted sea hare, Aplysia dactylomela".

Further reading

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