Aplysia sydneyensis
| Aplysia sydneyensis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Aplysia sydneyensis at Coogee | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Order: | Aplysiida |
| Family: | Aplysiidae |
| Genus: | Aplysia |
| Species: | A. sydneyensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Aplysia sydneyensis G. B. Sowerby II, 1869 | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Aplysia excavata G. B. Sowerby II, 1869 | |
Aplysia sydneyensis, the sydney seahare is a species of gastropod mollusc in the genus Aplysia, family Aplysiidae.[1] It is often found in the intertidal zone on the Australian coast.[2]
Description
The colour of the sydney seahare varies, and individuals can be near-black, brown, red or yellow.[3] It is covered in spots that vary from off white to dark brown, and has a black lined pattern on the head and sides. The head is small, and the rhinophores are slender and close together.[4] It grows to approx 150mm in length.[2] When startled, this species can produce a cloud of dark purple ink.[2]
Aplysia sydneyensis has a small, thin and flat shell, typically hidden by the parapodia (mantle flaps).[5] Shell coloration is chestnut at the median region, becoming pale horn-colored toward the margins. The apex is obtuse, terminal, slightly reflected and incurved. The dorsal margin is convex; the upper margin is straight; the outer lip is straight; the lower margin is subquadrate.[6]
Life history
Copulation and egg-laying takes place between April through to June.[7] A. sydneyensis feeds on algae such as Laurencia obtusa.[8]
Distribution
This marine species is endemic to Australia and occurs off New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia.
Gallery
Sydney seahare showing yellow colouration
Red colouration
Pale coloration
Lateral view
References
- ↑ Aplysia sydneyensis G. B. Sowerby II, 1869. 8 October 2025. Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species.
- 1 2 3 Rudman, W. B. (2010-07-15). "The Sea Slug Forum - Aplysia sydneyensis". www.seaslugforum.net. Retrieved 2026-08-09.
- ↑ Pizzirani, Daniela (July 12, 2022). "'Alien-like' creatures washed up on Sydney beaches".
- ↑ British Museum | Natural History (1950). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Zoology. Vol. 5. BM(NH).
- ↑ "Sydney Sea Cow - Life on Australian Seashores". www.mesa.edu.au. Retrieved 2026-08-09.
- ↑ Sowerby, G.B. II (1869). Monograph of the genus Aplysia. In: Conchologia iconica, or, Illustrations of the shells of molluscous animals, vol. 17, pls 1-10 and unpaginated text. London: Reeeve & co. p. sp 31. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. - ↑ Burn, Robert (1966). "Opisthobranchia. Port Phillip Survey 1957-1963". Memoirs of the National Museum of Victoria. 27. National Museum of Victoria: 265--288.
- ↑ Rogers, Cary N, De Nys, Rocky, Steinberg, Peter D (2003). "Ecology of the sea hare Aplysia parvula (Opisthobranchia) in New South Wales, Australia". Molluscan Research. 23 (3). Malacological Society of Australia: 185--198. doi:10.1071/mr03004.
- Bebbington, A., 1977. Aplysiid species from eastern Australia with notes on the Pacific Ocean Aplysiomorpha (Gastropoda, Opistobranchia). Trans. Zool. Soc. Lond. 34 1: 87-147.
- Edgar, G.J. 1997. Australian Marine Life, the plants and animals of temperate waters. Kew, Victoria, Australia : Reed Books 544 pp.
External links
- Burn, R.F. (2006). "A checklist and bibliography of the Opisthobranchia (Mollusca: Gastropoda) of Victoria and the Bass Strait area, south-eastern Australia" (PDF). Museum Victoria Science Reports. 10: 1–42.
- Petit, R.E. (2009). "George Brettingham Sowerby, I, II & III: their conchological publications and molluscan taxa". Zootaxa. 2189.
- Nimbs M. J., Willan R. C. & Smith S. D. A. (2017). "Is Port Stephens, eastern Australia, a global hotspot for biodiversity of Aplysiidae (Gastropoda: Heterobranchia)?". Molluscan Research. 37 (1): 47–65.