Stylocheilus striatus
Lined seahare
Philippines · Indo Pacific - South China Sea
- Size
- 20–50 mm · max 65 mm
- Depth
- 0–30 m
- Native range
- Circumtropical: Indo-West Pacific including the Red Sea and Hawaii, the eastern Pacific and the Caribbean.
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Description
A small, slender sea hare that can occur in large aggregations. It feeds on cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) and is thought to sequester their toxins for defence; like many sea hares it releases purple ink when disturbed. Long misidentified as Stylocheilus longicauda, it is now known to be a complex of cryptic species.
Share link: https://seaslugs.org.il/species/stylocheilus-striatus-phillipines-indo-pacific-south-china-sea/
Identification
Elongate, translucent brown to greenish body with dense dark longitudinal lines. Scattered eyespots with blue or pink centres are often present, and small branched papillae dot the back.
Similar species
Stylocheilus longicauda was long confused with it; Bursatella leachii is larger and covered in long branched papillae.
Habitat & diet
Habitat
Rocks, reef flats, seagrass and algal turf, from the intertidal to about 30 m.
Food
Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae), especially Lyngbya.