Aplysia dactylomela? from South Africa

October 27, 2008
From: Daleen Loest

We have encountered this seaslug in a rockpool at under mentioned location.We have been vacationing here for the previous 20 years and this is the first time that we've seen them.The photo was taken when one was stranded on a rocky ledge as the tide receded.We gently placed it in the water whereupon it spurted out the bright pink ink.There were about 5 of them in these rockpools at any given time, accompanied by 3 other slugs whom have the same form and size, but was dappled with shades of brown.We've observed them continously for about 5 days whereafter we haven't seen them again.

Locality: East London,30 km south at Kidd's Beach, 10 cm to 50 cm, South Africa, Easter Cape Coast, Indian Ocean, 30 December 2005, rockpools, sandy bottom. Length: 10 cm. Photographer: Daleen Loest.

Daleen Loest

dloest@tiscali.co.za

Loest, D., 2008 (Oct 27) Aplysia dactylomela? from South Africa. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/20536

Dear Daleen,

If you look carefully at the enlarged photo alongside I hope you can see some very small black rings with a white centre in the dark grey patches. That would normally indicate that this is a color form of Aplysia oculifera which has tiny rings like this. However the parapodial flaps look thick, leathery, and are not very folded, which is quite unlike that species. I suspect this is an extreme colour form of Aplysia dactylomela. Both species occur in southern Africa and have a long history of being mixed up in South African publications, so I could just be joining the confusion, but in extreme colour forms of these two species I think the general body shape is a better indicator of identity than the size of the black rings.

If you want to know more about these animals, you will find a whole list of relevant pages, including one on their spectacular ink, under 'Sea Hares ' in the General Topics List.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2008 (Oct 27). Comment on Aplysia dactylomela? from South Africa by Daleen Loest. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/20536

Related messages

  1. Aplysia dactylomela from Canary Islands
    From: Claudia Stoll, March 3, 2010
  2. Aplysia dactylomela from Montego Bay, Jamaica
    From: Semra Halabi, November 13, 2009
  3. Aplysia dactylomela from sthn Queensland
    From: Gary Cobb, February 3, 2009
  4. Re: Aplysia dactylomela from Canary Ids
    From: Obdulia Cabrera Hernández, October 21, 2008
  5. Aplysia dactylomela egg masses from the Mediterranean
    From: Antonello Greco, August 12, 2008
  6. Re: Aplysia dactylomela and its egg-mass
    From: Vinicius Padula, July 10, 2008
  7. Re: Aplysia dactylomela and its egg-mass
    From: Fabio Crocetta, July 10, 2008
  8. Re: Aplysia dactylomela and its egg-mass
    From: Fabio Crocetta, July 9, 2008
  9. Aplysia dactylomela from Rhodes, Greece
    From: Adam Gill, July 1, 2008
  10. Re: Aplysia dactylomela from the Canary Islands
    From: Stanley Ramsell, March 6, 2008
  11. Re: Sea hare from the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
    From: Gary Cobb, October 10, 2007
  12. Sea hare from the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
    From: Aimee Richer, October 9, 2007
  13. Aplysia dactylomela from the Canary Islands
    From: Mikkel Andersen, September 28, 2007
  14. Aplysia brasiliana in eastern Mediterranean?
    From: Gilbert Jaux, August 27, 2007
  15. Re: Feeding studies on Aplysia in Malaysia
    From: Corvin Eidens, July 20, 2007
  16. Aplysia dactylomela from Sabah, Malaysia
    From: Richard Swann, June 19, 2007
  17. Big sea hares on Mexican beach
    From: Benjamin Fisher, April 2, 2007
  18. Re: Feeding preference of Aplysia dactylomela
    From: Baki Yokes, November 27, 2006
  19. Re: Feeding preference of Aplysia dactylomela
    From: Philibert Bidgrain, November 20, 2006
  20. Aplysia dactylomela - eggs and larvae
    From: Jacob, Tim & Mai, November 6, 2006
  21. Aplysia dactylomela from Croatia
    From: Tom Turk, August 28, 2006
  22. Aplysia dactylomela from the Canary Islands
    From: Christian Kowalewski, August 21, 2006
  23. Re: Aplysia dactylomela in Eastern Sicily
    From: Andrea Corso, August 18, 2006
  24. Aplysia dactylomela in Eastern Sicily
    From: Agatino Reitano, August 7, 2006
  25. Aplysia dactylomela in Sicily
    From: Antonello Greco, August 7, 2006
  26. Aplysia dactylomela in Crete, Greece
    From: Stig & Sus Andersson, August 4, 2006
  27. Aplysia dactylomela from the Canary Islands
    From: Paul Harwood, June 15, 2006
  28. Aplysia dactylomela from Florida
    From: Rose Ann Maly, April 13, 2006
  29. Aplysia dactylomela from Greece
    From: Maria Salomidi, February 27, 2006
  30. Aplysia dactylomela from Cyprus
    From: Samantha Cooke, October 17, 2005
  31. Aplysia dactylomela - keeping in aquarium
    From: Jack Brown, September 16, 2005
  32. Aplysia dactylomela 'infant' from Bahamas
    From: Anne DuPont, August 27, 2005
  33. Another record of Aplysia dactylomela from Greece
    From: Allan David, August 11, 2005
  34. Re: Aplysia dactylomela in the Eastern Mediterranean
    From: Christopher Sweeting, August 1, 2005
  35. Aplysia dactylomela in the Eastern Mediterranean
    From: Baki Yokes, July 21, 2005
  36. Aplysia dactylomela from Greece
    From: Lucyna Sterniuk-Gronek, July 20, 2005
  37. Aplysia dactylomela from Florida
    From: Erik Sanders, May 7, 2005
  38. Sea Hares in Tenerife, Canary Ids
    From: Steve Andrews, April 15, 2005
  39. Aplysia dactylomela from St. Martin, West Indies
    From: Danny Dawson, March 18, 2005
  40. Sea Hares from Netherlands Antilles
    From: Bob Murphy , March 17, 2004
  41. Aplysia dactylomela from Canary Ids
    From: Tom + Jade, March 16, 2004
  42. Aplysia dactylomela and its egg-mass
    From: Marina Poddubetskaia, March 10, 2004
  43. Aplysia dactylomela from the Bahamas
    From: David Behr, March 1, 2004
  44. Aplysia dactylomela from Western Australia
    From: Monika Stambergova, February 11, 2004
  45. Feeding of Aplysia dactylomela
    From: Albert Diaz Garcia, January 26, 2004
  46. Aplysia dactylomela from Dominica
    From: Valérie Grando, January 6, 2004
  47. Aplysia dactylomela(?) from Brazil
    From: Vinicius Anderson, November 18, 2003
  48. Aplysia dactylomela from Jamaica
    From: Ross W. Gundersen, October 6, 2003
  49. Re: Aplysia dactylomela from the Canary Ids
    From: Ron Warne, July 2, 2003
  50. Aplysia dactylomela from Senegal
    From: Marina Poddubetskaia, June 24, 2003
  51. Aplysia dactylomela from the Canary Ids
    From: Sjoerd Westerterp, June 13, 2003
  52. Information on Aplysia diet
    From: Ana Karina Yepes, February 6, 2003
  53. Aplysia dactylomela from Lord Howe Island
    From: W.B. Rudman, January 18, 2003
  54. Aplysia dactylomela from Equatorial Guinea
    From: Felix Villares, October 14, 2002
  55. 'Mango Seeds' = Aplysia dactylomela
    From: Dr. Ray McAllister, June 13, 2002
  56. Spanish Dancer congregation in Florida
    From: Dr. Ray McAllister, June 7, 2002
  57. Aplysia dactylomela feeding
    From: Anne DuPont, June 3, 2002
  58. Aplysia dactylomela in the Bahamas
    From: Anne DuPont, May 27, 2002
  59. Colour variation in Aplysia dactylomela
    From: Anne DuPont, April 21, 2002
  60. Sea Hare from Puerto Rico
    From: Natalie Manno, April 15, 2002
  61. Seahares in New Zealand
    From: Leanne Ticehurst, March 6, 2002
  62. Aplysia dactylomela from the Canary Ids
    From: Simon and Jill Warwick, December 5, 2001
  63. Feeding preference of Aplysia dactylomela
    From: Patricia Chen, October 26, 2001
  64. Black Sea Hare and mystery from Curacao
    From: John Dohmen, June 20, 2001
  65. Re: Sea Hare from Thailand
    From: Kathe R. Jensen, May 10, 2001
  66. Sea Hare from Thailand
    From: Walabha Sinbul, May 4, 2001
  67. Re: Aplysia from South Africa
    From: Richard Willan, January 17, 2001
  68. More photos of possible Aplysia oculifera
    From: Valda Fraser, January 14, 2001
  69. Aplysia oculifera? from South Africa
    From: Valda Fraser, January 10, 2001
  70. Aplysia dactylomela swimming
    From: Anne Dupont, December 11, 1999
  71. Aplysia dactylomela from Florida
    From: Anne Dupont, October 15, 1999
  72. Sea Hares - Mass mortality in Florida
    From: Annie Troutman, June 4, 1999
  73. Aplysia dactylomela? from Bahamas
    From: Troy Bartlett, April 19, 1999

Show factsheet and all related messages