Sea slug with paddles?

November 30, 2007
From: Annabelle Sandes

Hello Bill,
This slug was found on a gravelly sand substrate on a sandbank in Deception Bay on the mid North Kimberley Coast, Western Australia, exposed on a low spring tide. At high tide, the sandbank is 10 m underwater. The animal was wriggling around and was one of two found on the extensive sandbank.
Size was approximately 15 cm.

Locality: Sandbank, Deception Bay, 10 m, Western Australia, Indian Ocean, 1 September 2007, sandbank. Length: 15 cm. Photographer: Annabelle Sandes.

Please help me to identify it.
Kind regards,
Annabelle Sandes

dingoprincess@bigpond.com

Sandes, L. A., 2007 (Nov 30) Sea slug with paddles?. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/21110

Dear Annabelle,

A 'sea slug with paddles' is quite a good description of this animal, but if you saw it covered with water you would be even more amazed by the way its head has become a scoop net for  catching small crustacea. It is a species of Melibe, most probably Melibe viridis. Have a look at the Fact Sheet for that species and the attached messages for more information. And use the Species List or the Taxonomic Search [see menu at upper left of every page] to find other species of Melibe. They are a very strange group.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2007 (Nov 30). Comment on Sea slug with paddles? by Annabelle Sandes. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/21110

Factsheet

Melibe viridis

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