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Pleurobranchus

Description

Pleurobranchus is a genus of side-gilled slugs in the family Pleurobranchidae and is accepted in WoRMS. They occur in intertidal and shallow subtidal tropical and subtropical seas worldwide. According to Wikipedia (citing WoRMS, November 2021) there are 22 valid species. P. forskalii lives in the Indo-West Pacific and Red Sea, reaches 20-30 cm and feeds on compound ascidians; it was found in the Mediterranean (Haifa Bay) in 1975, with only two specimens recorded there.

Identification

The defining feature of the group is a large gill on the right side of the body (hence side-gilled slugs). In P. forskalii the mantle is tough and tuberculate and covers the broad foot except for the tail, with opaque white or black circles or polygons on the back.

Species in this genus (3)

Sources (4)

Share link: https://seaslugs.org.il/genus/Pleurobranchus/

Pleurobranchus