Akera soluta
- shell

PHOTO

Botany Bay, 9m, Sydney, New South wales, Australia. shell 17-19mm long. Lower right photo taken at angle to show spiral apex of shell. Photos: Alison Miller.

The external shell of Akera soluta is similar in shape and fragility to the unrelated cephalaspideans of the Haminoeidae, such as Atys cylindrica. Larger specimens often have a brownish tinge from the horny periostracal organic layer of the shell. There is a flattened groove at the top of each whorl, which can be seen in the lower right photo. From the aperture, a narrow slit (arrowed) runs back some distance along the groove, differentiating its shell from that of any haminoeid.
See the Shell of Sea Hares Page.
Return to Akera soluta page.

Reference:
• Gmelin, J.F. (1791). In: Linnaeus, C., Systema Naturae, Ed.13. 1(6): 3021-4120.

Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 2000 (September 3) Akera soluta - shell. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/akersolush