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Description
Melibe (Rang, 1829) is an accepted genus of nudibranchs in the family Tethydidae. These slugs have lost the radula and catch small crustaceans with a broad oral hood that is spread like a net and closes when its sensory papillae touch prey. Some species harbour symbiotic zooxanthellae. Many species live in the tropical Indo-West Pacific, including seagrass beds. A species from the group entered the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal and was first recorded in Greece in 1970.
Identification
The greatly expanded oral hood fringed with sensory tentacles is the most striking feature. Large, flattened, oar-shaped cerata line the body edge (up to 10 pairs in Melibe fimbriata), shed easily and regrow, and branched appendages cover the back. They swim by bending the body from side to side.
Species in this genus (4)
Share link: https://seaslugs.org.il/genus/Melibe/