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Description
Biuve is a monotypic genus in the family Aglajidae (headshield slugs, Cephalaspidea); its only species, Biuve fulvipunctata, was moved there in 2017 from Chelidonura. The slug is black or dark brown with yellowish-orange spots, typically 10-20 mm long, nocturnal, and lives on rocky or sandy bottoms with algal debris down to about 20 m. It feeds on small polychaete worms and flatworms. It has invaded the Mediterranean since 1961, including Israel, and reached the Red Sea in 2005.
Identification
An elongate, cylindrical body with a head shield and visceral hump, a thin internal shell, and a black or dark brown base colour with a bluish sheen. A characteristic mark is a white w-shaped patch at the front edge of the head and a white or pale yellow crescent at the rear of the shield. The posterior end has a pair of tapering lobes, and the foot is expanded into lateral parapodia.
Species in this genus (1)
Sources (2)
Share link: https://seaslugs.org.il/genus/Biuve/