Notarchus indicus
Whirligig sea hare
Philippines · Indo Pacific - South China Sea
- Size
- 35 mm
- Depth
- to 15 m
- Native range
- Indo-West Pacific including the Red Sea; introduced to the eastern Mediterranean.
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Description
A small shell-less sea hare whose parapodia are almost completely fused, giving a rounded, balloon-like body. It escapes danger by jet propulsion, sucking water into the parapodial cavity and jetting it backwards in a series of somersaults. A Lessepsian migrant that has entered the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal.
Share link: https://seaslugs.org.il/species/notarchus-indicus-phillipines-indo-pacific-south-china-sea/
Identification
Rounded, balloon-shaped body with a small anterior opening and no shell. Skin bears scattered conical to branched papillae. Colour ranges from translucent white through yellowish-brown to dark brown, often with white or dark blotches.
Similar species
Notarchus punctatus is externally very similar and is separated by internal anatomy (it has an armed penis).
Habitat & diet
Habitat
Shallow water, often among green algae; recorded to about 15 m.
Food
Mainly green algae of the genus Caulerpa.