Live rock hitchhiker - Dolabrifera

October 3, 2002
From: Peter Lau

I am a beginner reef aquarium keeper. I have just purchased a bunch of Fiji live rocks and found a green, slug-looking animal hitch hiked on one of the rocks. It is approx. 2 inches long and 1 inches wide at its widest (toward the rear-end of this animal). It has four antennae-looking things sticking out from its head. It has a rather flat body and very flexible and fluid, which allows it to slide from one rock to another. It has been eating mostly the hair algae on the live rocks and seem to prefer to stay on the two uppermost rocks in the tank (closer to the light?). Someone on another website had suggested that this is a lettuce nudibranch but from every photo that I can find of a lettuce nudibranch, this thing looks nothing like it. For one thing, it does not have a ruffled body, it is rather flat with little antennae-like things sticking up. Can someone help me identify it and provide its requirements, particularly its diet so that I am sure that it will not eat any corals that I buy in the future.

Thanks so much,
Peter

peter.lau@verizon.com

Lau, P., 2002 (Oct 3) Live rock hitchhiker - Dolabrifera. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/7971

Dear Peter,
This is a little Sea Hare called Dolabrifera dolabrifera. Have a look at the Fact Sheet, and other messages attached to that page, for further information. Like all Sea Hares it is a herbivore so no danger to your corals. It doesn't grow very big and it could be useful in grazing algal films which grow on the aquarium glass.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2002 (Oct 3). Comment on Live rock hitchhiker - Dolabrifera by Peter Lau. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/7971

Factsheet

Dolabrifera dolabrifera

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