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| Dolabrifera dolabrifera Cuvier, 1817 |
Dolabrifera dolabrifera is a species of sea hare, a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusc in the family Aplysiidae. Baron Georges Léopold Chrétien Frédéric Dagobert Cuvier ( August 23 1769 &ndash May 13, 1832) was a French naturalist Year 1817 ( MDCCCXVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common In Biology, a species is one of the basic units of Biological classification and a Taxonomic rank. Sea hares ( Aplysia species and related genera are very large sea Slugs with a soft internal shell made of protein Marine is an Umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the Sea or Ocean, such as Marine biology, Marine An opisthobranch (ō-pĭsʹthə-brăngk is any member of the very large and diverse group of rather specialized highly evolved marine slugs and snails ( marine Gastropod The class Gastropoda or the gastropods, also previously known as gasteropods, or univalves, and more commonly known as Snails Molluscs are animals belonging to the phylum Mollusca. There are around 250000 extant Species within the phylum with an estimated 70000 In Biological classification, family ( Latin
A more general description can be found on the page of the superfamily Aplysioidea.
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Distribution
This species is found circumglobally, in tropical and subtropical waters. The Tropics are centered on the Equator and limited in Latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately 23°26' (23 The subtropics are the zones of the Earth immediately north and south of the tropic zone which is bounded by the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of
Habitat
This sea hare is found amongst algae at low tide. Algae ( sing. alga are a large and diverse group of simple typically Autotrophic organisms ranging from Unicellular to Multicellular forms
Description
The animal is a small flattened sea slug, with a broad posterior mantle, narrowing towards the head. The mantle is an important part of the anatomy of Molluscs It is the dorsal body wall which covers the visceral mass The parapodia (fleshy winglike flaps) are fused, except for a short region in the posterior midline, where two small flaps form an inhalent and exhalent opening into the parapodial chamber which encloses the reduced mantle cavity and shell. Parapodia ( Gr para, beyond or beside + podia, feet singular parapodium, are paired un-jointed Lateral outgrowths Although often described as smooth, it would seem that this species is covered in low tubercles which bear retractile single or compound papillae. tubercle (anatomyA tubercle is generally a wart-like projection but it has slightly different meaning depending on which family of plants or animals it is used to refer to In preserved animals these papillae are seldom described presumably because they are retracted during preservation. The animal moves in a unique way, like a leech. It feeds mostly by grazing on filamentous algae. Algae ( sing. alga are a large and diverse group of simple typically Autotrophic organisms ranging from Unicellular to Multicellular forms
Eggs are zigzag-shaped ribbons, pink when laid then changing color to brown before hatching.
Coloration is variable, mimicking the background, but is usually beige, mottled green, pink, or chartreuse green.
This species is frequently sold as "algae eating sea hare" at aquarium stores for saltwater and reef tanks. Algae ( sing. alga are a large and diverse group of simple typically Autotrophic organisms ranging from Unicellular to Multicellular forms Sea hares ( Aplysia species and related genera are very large sea Slugs with a soft internal shell made of protein An aquarium (plural aquariums or aquaria) is a Vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which Water -dwelling Plants A reef aquarium or reef tank is an Aquarium containing live Corals and other animals associated with coral reefs
Length is up to 40 mm. The Millimetre ( American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to
Gallery
 Dolabrifera dolabrifera egg ribbon 5 days old |
 Dolabrifera dolabrifera egg 7 days old, just before hatching |
External links
- Powell A. W. B., New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1
- SeaSlugForum
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