Back to family sea haresBack to the gallery
Description
Stylocheilus is a genus of sea hares in the family Aplysiidae (some authors place it in Dolabriferidae). The animals live from the intertidal down to about 30 m in tropical waters; S. striatus was once considered pantropical, but is now regarded as a complex of several allopatric species. They feed on cyanobacteria, mainly Lyngbya, and release purple ink when disturbed.
Identification
A small elongate sea hare (cigar-shaped), 1.5 to 6.5 cm long, translucent brownish with dark longitudinal lines and eye-like spots with pink or blue centres. There is no external shell and the body is covered with simple or branched papillae. It has two pairs of tentacles, with the eyes at the base of the rhinophores.
Species in this genus (1)
Share link: https://seaslugs.org.il/genus/Stylocheilus/