Aplysia brasiliana

Aplysia brasiliana
Live specimen of Aplysia brasiliana
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Order: Aplysiida
Family: Aplysiidae
Genus: Aplysia
Species:
A. brasiliana
Binomial name
Aplysia brasiliana
Rang, 1828
Synonyms
  • Aplysia guadaloupensis G. B. Sowerby I, 1869 junior subjective synonym
  • Aplysia livida A. d'Orbigny, 1836 junior subjective synonym

Aplysia brasiliana, common name the mottled sea hare, is a species of gastropod mollusc in the genus Aplysia, family Aplysiidae. [1]

Description

(Original des description in French) Aplysia brasiliana is immediately distinguishable from other species by two rather remarkable characteristics. Firstly, while the anterior part of the animal is quite elongated, its posterior part appears somewhat short in contrast. Secondly, the operculum is situated further back, consequently sloping towards the tail.

In addition to these features, the mantle is noted for its dark brown coloration. The posterior tentacles are perfectly conical, in stark contrast to the others, which are very broad. The animal's lobes are vast and elongated, and the operculum itself is quite large.

The shell is equally distinctive: it possesses an oblong shape and a dark yellow hue. Its ventral surface is covered by a rather thick calcareous layer. The apex is poorly formed, and any indentation is nearly absent. [2]

Distribution

This species occurs in the Caribbean Sea and in the Atlantic Ocean off Brazil.

References

  1. ^ Aplysia brasiliana Rang, 1828. 20 September 2025. Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species.
  2. ^ Rang, S. (1828). Histoire naturelle des Aplysiens. Paris: Firmin Didot. p. 56. Retrieved 20 September 2025. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  • Ortea J. & Moro L. (2018). Nuevas citas y nuevos datos sobre las lesmas do mar (Mollusca: Gastropoda) de las islas de Cabo Verde (II). Avicennia. 22: 49-58.
  • 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
  • Medina M., Collins T. & Walsh P.J. (2005). Phylogeny of sea hares in the Aplysia clade based on mitochondrial DNA sequence data. Bulletin of Marine Science. 76(3): 691-698.