Tubulophilinopsis pilsbryi
Pilsbry's head shield slug
Philippines · Indo Pacific - South China Sea
- Size
- 30–40 mm
- Native range
- Tropical Indo-West Pacific, east to Hawaii and Samoa.
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Description
A head-shield slug (family Aglajidae) that burrows in sand. Formerly placed in Philinopsis; moved to Tubulophilinopsis after a 2018 molecular phylogeny, the genus named for its long tubular pharynx.
Share link: https://seaslugs.org.il/species/tubulophilinopsis-pilsbryi-phillipines-indo-pacific-south-china-sea/
Identification
Creamy to translucent white ground colour overlain by a dark brown to black reticulate pattern that often forms ring-shaped blotches, with figure-of-eight marks on the head and posterior shields. Highly variable: some individuals are mostly black with white spots.
Similar species
Tubulophilinopsis reticulata: its black reticulation always continues across the underside of the foot, and it has blue patches along the parapodial edge.
Habitat & diet
Habitat
Sandy bottoms near reefs, burrowing in sediment; recorded around 5 m.
Food
Not documented in detail; like other aglajids it is a carnivore that swallows prey whole.