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Description
Chelidonura is a genus of headshield slugs (Cephalaspidea) in the family Aglajidae. They are small, sometimes colourful slugs known mainly from the tropical and subtropical western Pacific, on reefs among soft corals, sponges and algae from the intertidal to about 15 m. They are carnivores that feed on small flatworms and lack a radula. After molecular work, a species formerly in this genus was moved in 2017 to Biuve (B. fulvipunctata).
Identification
The main diagnostic feature is a pair of tail-like lobes at the rear: the posterior shield splits into two lobes, the left longer than the right. The head shield tapers to a rounded point behind, and the parapodia are large and partly enclose the body. The body is often purplish-black with white dots and a broad white band across the front of the head shield (as described for one species).
Species in this genus (4)
Share link: https://seaslugs.org.il/genus/Chelidonura/