What does Aplysia punctata eat?
August 7, 2000
From: Trevor Shand
I know that sea hares eat algae (seaweeds) but does it have to be a particular type of seaweed for a certain Sea Hare. At the moment I have a Aplysia punctata and would like to know what seaweed is best to feed it with.
Trevor Shand
trevor.shand@lineone.net
Shand, T., 2000 (Aug 7) What does Aplysia punctata eat?. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/2850Dear Trevor,
Good question! I am sure some research worker or student must have studied the diet of this common Sea Hare but from a quick look around I can't find much in the way of information except for Thompson's (1976) references to studies conducted in 1914 and 1921. Many Sea Hares are thought to settle out of the plankton on to red algae, on which they feed, and then gradually move to brown and green algae as they move upshore.
In the case of A. punctata it is reported to feed on the red algae Polysiphonia and Ceramium when young, and then move to the brown alage Fucus and the green Ulva as it moves up the shore. However the whole idea of migration up the shore is also disputed.
If you are keeping these animals in an aquarium my advice would be to try the Sea Lettuce Ulva as both red and brown algae are quite difficult to keep alive in aquaria and they also release chemicals into the water which could kill other life in your tank. Ulva on the other hand is quite tolerant of a wide range of enviromental conditions and as far as I know, doesn't release nasty substances into the water.
I would be interested in any information on research that has been conducted into the feeding biology, and other aspects of the life history of A. punctata
Reference: Thompson, T.E. (1976) Biology of Opisthobranch Molluscs, Vol 1. Ray Society: London.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman.
Related messages
-
Re: Aplysia punctata mating, spawning and variations
From: Joao Pedro Tojal Loia Soares Silva, October 3, 2007 -
Aplysia punctata from the Western Isles, Scotland
From: Lindsay Bradley, October 3, 2007 -
Aplysia punctata mating, spawning and variations
From: Joao Pedro Silva, August 20, 2007 -
Aplysia punctata mating
From: Jim Anderson, August 20, 2007 -
Re: Appetitive behaviour in Aplysia
From: Mark Henry, August 22, 2006 -
Appetitive behaviour in Aplysia
From: Mark Henry, August 21, 2006 -
Markings on Aplysia punctata
From: Mark Henry, August 17, 2006 -
A summer spawn of Aplysia punctata
From: Mark.Henry, August 15, 2006 -
Sea Hare from Lochiver, Northwest Scotland
From: Colin Robertson, March 28, 2006 -
Spanish Sea Hares
From: Sascha Schulz, February 20, 2006 -
Sea Hare from Spain
From: Raul Castro, December 17, 2005 -
Aplysia punctata from Scotland
From: Cherry Welsh, August 19, 2005 -
Juvenile Aplysia from Norway
From: Kåre Telnes, July 30, 2005 -
Aplysia punctata from Croatia
From: Andrej Jaklin, March 4, 2005 -
Aplysia from Croatia
From: Andrej Jaklin, March 4, 2005 -
Age determination of Aplysia punctata
From: Marta K. Soffker, February 18, 2005 -
Aplysia punctata mating
From: Jim Anderson, November 27, 2003 -
Aplysia punctata from French Mediterranean
From: Marina Poddubetskaia, July 19, 2003 -
Aplysia punctata (adult) from French Brittany
From: Marina Poddubetskaia, April 29, 2003 -
Aplysia punctata (juvenile) from French Brittany
From: Marina Poddubetskaia, April 29, 2003 -
Aplysia punctata in aquarium
From: Michael, November 10, 2002 -
Re: commensal bivalve & Aplysia
From: Dr.Stephen R Hoskins, June 18, 2002 -
Re: Commensal bivalve - Sea Hare
From: Dr. Stephen R. Hoskins, June 17, 2002 -
Re: galeommatoidean commensal on Aplysia?
From: Serge Gofas , June 13, 2002 -
Aplysia punctata and commensal? bivalve.
From: Stephen Hoskins, June 8, 2002 -
Aplysia punctata in Germany
From: Peter Gleisenstein , May 31, 2002 -
Aplysia punctata & 'passengers'
From: Dr. Stephen Hoskins, May 16, 2002 -
Aplysia punctata from Portugal
From: João Tojal Silva, April 23, 2002 -
Aplysia punctata defensive mechanism
From: Marilyn Jackson, December 13, 2000 -
Observations on Aplysia punctata
From: Andy Horton, October 2, 1999