Stylocheilus striatus from Western Australia

March 13, 2006
From: Karen Stackpole

These pictures were taken about January 23rd 2006 at a beach in Bussleton, Western Australia.The temperature on the day would have been in the mid thirtys. The water was relatively calm and was almost clean of sea weed. These creatures were in huge abundance in the water of a swimming beach and looked like pieces of brown seaweed. They were washing up on the beach in their hundreds. My son collected many live ones and put them in a water pool that he had created in the sand. They were aproximately 1 - 2 inches in length, brown in colour and had a tenticle looking surface on their skin. When placed in the water pool many of them released a reddish/purple 'gel' substance from a slit in their back which floated temporarily before soaking into the sand. They moved about the space using movements similar to a catapillar or slug. I have been looking at various sights to try and find out what they were. Can you help indentify them.

Locality: Bussleton - Meelup Beach, Western Australia, 23 January 2006, Washing up onto swhite sandy beach. Length: 1 - 2 inches. Photographer: Karen Stackpole.

Karen Stackpole

kelja@bmail.com.au

Stackpole, K, 2006 (Mar 13) Stylocheilus striatus from Western Australia. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/16097

Dear Karen,
These are Sea Hares and most of them produce a reddish purple ink when disturbed. Your animal is almost definitely Stylocheilus striatus which you'll see from earlier messages is often found in large numbers like this.

For more information on Sea Hares look at the General Topics Index {see navigation bar at top left of page]

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2006 (Mar 13). Comment on Stylocheilus striatus from Western Australia by Karen Stackpole. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/16097

Factsheet

Stylocheilus striatus

Related messages

  1. Sea hare from Isla Marada, Florida
    From: W. Robert Hudgins, April 8, 2010
  2. Aggregation of Stylocheilus in the Philippines
    From: Marcel Tanke, July 21, 2008
  3. Re: Line of slugs and aggregations
    From: Jean-François Hervé, November 24, 2007
  4. Line of slugs and aggregations
    From: Kim Friedman, November 5, 2007
  5. Stylocheilus swarming in Cuba
    From: Alfredo Barroso, September 6, 2007
  6. Re: Meeting of the Sea Hares
    From: Ann Clear, March 26, 2007
  7. Meeting of the Sea Hares
    From: Ann Clear, March 23, 2007
  8. Re: Swarming of Stylocheilus striatus
    From: Everett M.Turner Jr., February 22, 2007
  9. Swarming of Stylocheilus striatus
    From: Everett M.Turner Jr., February 21, 2007
  10. Stylocheilus striatus from Brazil
    From: Fabio Amorim, March 22, 2006
  11. Re: 1000s of Sea Hares in Hawaii
    From: Chris Porter, November 30, 2005
  12. Aggregation of Stylocheilus striatus in Indonesia
    From: Paul Whitehead, November 29, 2005
  13. Swarming of Stylocheilus striatus at Bonaire
    From: Les Wilk, November 7, 2005
  14. Reunion Is - Swarming and spawning of Stylocheilus
    From: Philibert Bidgrain, November 5, 2005
  15. Re: Stylocheilus striatus swarms at Reunion Island
    From: Nerida Wilson, November 3, 2005
  16. Stylocheilus striatus swarms at Reunion Island
    From: Philibert Bidgrain, October 31, 2005
  17. Stylocheilus striatus from Wollongong, New South Wales
    From: Sascha Schulz, September 14, 2005
  18. Stylocheilus striatus swarming - Turks & Caicos Ids
    From: Martin Banford, July 29, 2005
  19. Swarming Sea Hares in Hawaii
    From: Jim Spears, July 8, 2005
  20. Re: 1000s of Sea Hares in Hawaii
    From: Mike Roberts, June 23, 2005
  21. 1000s of Sea Hares in Hawaii
    From: Mike Roberts, June 20, 2005
  22. Stylocheilus swarmimg in the Caribbean
    From: Jim Chambers, June 20, 2005
  23. White Hawaiian Pleurobranch?
    From: Keoki Stender, April 15, 2005
  24. Stylocheilus striatus from Brazil
    From: Vinicius Padula, February 16, 2005
  25. Stylocheilus striatus or S. striata ?
    From: Marina Poddubetskaia, January 5, 2005
  26. Stylocheilus striatus from Jamaica
    From: Ross W. Gundersen, October 21, 2003
  27. Re: Stylocheilus striatus (?) from Grenada
    From: Marli Wakeling, August 23, 2003
  28. Stylocheilus striatus from Grenada
    From: Marli Wakeling, August 22, 2003
  29. Sea hares & Lyngbya majuscula
    From: Steve Arquitt, May 24, 2003
  30. Stylocheilus striatus from Lord Howe Island
    From: W.B. Rudman, January 27, 2003
  31. Stylocheilus striatus from Sulawesi
    From: Mary Jane Adams , January 8, 2003
  32. Stylocheilus striatus from Florida
    From: Linda Ianniello, October 22, 2002
  33. Ink Gland in Stylocheilus striatus
    From: Angela Capper, September 3, 2002
  34. Early larvae of Stylocheilus striatus
    From: Duncan Revell, May 25, 2002
  35. Feeding in Stylocheilus longicauda
    From: Jan Drexel, May 14, 2002
  36. Stylocheilus striatus from Balai
    From: Stuart Hutchison, March 25, 2002
  37. Stylocheilus striatus - veliger larvae
    From: Duncan Revell, February 18, 2002
  38. Stylocheilus striatus - life history studies
    From: Duncan Revell, February 13, 2002
  39. Re: Green Nudibranch
    From: Timothy Loyd, February 24, 2001
  40. Anatomy of a spotted sea hare
    From: Brandon, February 22, 2001
  41. Green Nudibranch
    From: Timothy Loyd, February 21, 2001
  42. Sea Bunnies- Florida?
    From: John E. Billings, December 15, 2000
  43. Microcoleus & Lyngbya
    From: Clay Carlson, October 24, 2000
  44. Stylocheilus striatus and secondary metabolites
    From: Lloyd Godson, October 22, 2000
  45. Which sea hare is this one?
    From: Phanor Montoya, September 29, 2000
  46. Stylocheilus from the Caribbean
    From: Barry Lipman, September 27, 2000
  47. Re: Another aquaria slug-type creature
    From: Michelle Catalano, June 8, 2000
  48. Another aquaria slug-type creature
    From: Michelle Catalano, June 7, 2000
  49. Aplysiid from Coffs Harbour, NSW
    From: Carol Buchanan, April 28, 2000
  50. Aplysia sp.? from Papua New Guinea
    From: Mary Jane Adams, March 20, 2000
  51. Stylocheilus as food
    From: Bill Rudman, July 23, 1999
  52. Breeding & rearing Stylocheilus longicauda
    From: Gary Henderson, March 11, 1999
  53. Re: Where do I buy Sea Hares?
    From: Mark Lanett, February 3, 1999

Show factsheet and all related messages