Aplysia dactylomela from Canary Islands

March 3, 2010
From: Claudia Stoll

Dear Bill,

I have found a spezies of a seahare on the South-West-Coast of Teneriffe (24th of March, 2008) in a little pool on the rocks of Playa de la Arena.
I suspect, it is Aplysia dactylomela. The length of the animal was about 30cm.
And I was able to make a very nice video of the seahare! Here is the link to a little part of my video in youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vR5GGdBhC2k

Locality: Teneriffa, Playa de la arena, in a little pool on the beach/rocks, Spain, Canary Islands, Atlantic Ocean, 24. March 2008. Length: 30 cm. Photographer: Claudia Stoll.

And now my question is: Do you know, what the seahare is doing on this video? Is it eating? I need your help, because I`ll make a professional video film with underpin statements.

Thank you for your answer and best regards!
Claudia Stoll
from Germany

claudistoll@t-online.de

Stoll, C., 2010 (Mar 3) Aplysia dactylomela from Canary Islands. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/23288

Dear Claudia,

Snails and sea slugs often crawl upside down along the surface of pools. However the surface tension can only support reasonably small animals so large Sea Hares usually don't succeed. In a shallow pool like this your Sea Hare has its front half twisted upside down attempting to crawl along the surface of the pool while its back half is still on the bottom. In you video the mouth is going through its feeding movements. Often when small opisthobranchs are successfully crawling upside down in a pool their mouths rhythmically open and shut as though they are grazing. Whether they are attempting to graze or just 'going through the motions' I couldn't say, but as I have seen hydroid-feeding aeolids and sponge-feeding dorids doing it, I suspect it is just a reflex action.

However the water surface can be a good source of food. When the water is coming in after low tide we often find large amounts of dried organic matter floating on the water surface. Some intertidal brittle stars [ophiuroid echinoderms] feed almost exclusively by waving their arms over the surface to collect this dried organic material. It's possible your Sea Hare was doing the same, but it is unlikely, as they prefer red and brown macro algae.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2010 (Mar 3). Comment on Aplysia dactylomela from Canary Islands by Claudia Stoll. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/23288

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Aplysia dactylomela

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