Description: Aplysia brasiliana Rang, 1828 - mottled sea hare in Florida, USA. (March 2014) The gastropods (snails & slugs) are a group of molluscs that occupy marine, freshwater, and terrestrial environments. Most gastropods have a calcareous external shell (the snails). Some lack a shell completely, or have reduced internal shells (the slugs & sea slugs & pteropods). Most members of the Gastropoda are marine. Most marine snails are herbivores (algae grazers) or predators/carnivores. The mottled sea hare is a type of sea slug with a pair of rabbit ear-like extensions on its head. Sea hares lack the coiled external shell of snails. Instead, sea hares have reduced, somewhat cap-shaped internal shells. The species shown above, Aplysia brasiliana, has been considered by some to be a junior subjective synonym of Aplysia fasciata, the sooty sea hare, which has a much darker color than the mottled sea hare. This live specimen was beached by wave and tidal action. Many live sea hares were present along this shoreline on this occasion. Classification: Animalia, Mollusca, Gastropoda, Opisthobranchia, Anaspidea, Aplysiidae [Note - it has been incorrectly asserted that "Anaspidea" is an invalid name under ICZN (International Code of Zoological Nomenclature) rules, and that the replacement name "Aplysiomorpha" should be used; however, ICZN rules only cover family, genus, and species-level ranks; the term "Anaspidea" is not invalid, is widely used, and has priority.] Locality: Lighthouse Beach, near Sanibel Lighthouse, eastern end of Sanibel Island, southwestern Florida, USA More info. at:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aplysiomorpha and
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aplysia and
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aplysia_fasciata. Date: 11 March 2014, 09:50. Source:
Aplysia brasiliana (mottled sea hare) (Sanibel Island, Florida, USA) 4. Author:
James St. John.
