California aglaja | |
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From Santa Barbara, California | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Mollusca |
Class: | Gastropoda |
Subclass: | Heterobranchia |
Clade: | Euopisthobranchia |
Order: | Cephalaspidea |
Family: | Aglajidae |
Genus: | Navanax |
Species: | N. inermis |
Binomial name | |
Navanax inermis (Cooper, 1863) | |
Synonyms | |
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Navanax inermis, common name the California aglaja, is a large species of predatory sea slug, a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusk in the family Aglajidae. Navanax is not a nudibranch, even though it somewhat resembles one; it belongs to a more ancient lineage of opisthobranchs called the cephalaspideans or head shield slugs and snails.
The body of N. inermis can be tan, black, or purple, with yellowish streaks. [1] Yellow or orange streaks and blue dots are visible on the margins. [1] It has two large parapodial folds that run the length of either side of the body, and almost touch at the midsection. [1] This species possesses a small internal shell. [1] [2] Individuals are typically between 2.5 and 10 inches in length. [1]
Navanax inermis does not possess a radula or organs associated with vision. [1] [3]
This species occurs in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Gulf of California. Its range is from Monterey, California to Baja California. [4]
Navanax inermis can commonly be found on rocky intertidal regions and subtidal mudflats. [1] [2] [3]
Navanax inermis is a voracious carnivorous predator. [2] Common prey items include other sea slugs, like bubble snails and nudibranchs, and small fish. [4] [5] As N. inermis lacks visual perception, it finds prey by using its chemoreceptors to follow the slime trails of other organisms. [1] [3] [4]
Navanax inermis is a simultaneous hermaphrodite. [6] Copulation can occur in groups, commonly referred to as chains, of up to four individuals. [6] In the southern portion of its range, N. inermis spawns year round, producing upwards of 800,000 eggs at a time. [4] After 7 to 19 days of development, embryos are released and live as plankton. [4]
Navanax inermis slides over surfaces with the help of a mucopolysaccharide slime trail. [3]
When disturbed, N. inermis secretes a bright yellow substance into its slime trail, which can persist for several hours. This secretion causes some other organisms to break pursuit of the slug. [3]
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