Back to family Aglajid headshield slugsBack to the gallery
Description
Philinopsis is a genus of sea slugs in the family Aglajidae (headshield slugs, Cephalaspidea; not nudibranchs). They are found worldwide, from the tropical Indo-Pacific to European waters, the Caribbean and South Africa, and often burrow in sand or sandy mud. Aglajidae are carnivores; P. speciosa, for example, feeds mainly on other gastropods, swallowing them whole with an eversible pharynx. Wikipedia lists about 16 living species. The genus status in WoRMS could not be checked (access was blocked).
Identification
The head disk is large, oblong-oval to triangular, with a convex fleshy lobe behind it and a truncated rear with a wavy crest. A branchial plume near the posterior end hides an internal shell. In P. speciosa the headshield is broad, squared in front and tapering behind to an upright tube, with a thin blue line at the margin. The genus includes two groups that differ in the structure of the buccal bulb.
Species in this genus (1)
Share link: https://seaslugs.org.il/genus/Philinopsis/