Black Sea Hare and mystery from Curacao

June 20, 2001
From: John Dohmen


While diving in Curacao, Netherlands Antilles, [Caribbean] I found these slugs in the bay not far from shore. As far as I can determine these are Black Sea Hares. The largest was about 12 inches long.
But my question is: What is the light brown "thing"? It looked attached to one of the black sea hares, but it didn't look like mating sea hares. It looked more like a part of the Black Sea Hare. If I had found the brown one apart I would have concluded it is a Spotted Sea Hare, but I don't think both species would be together at this spot. I dive on a very regular basis here and during all the years I have never seen these giant slugs. So I think they are rather uncommon here. And then to find two different slugs of the same family seems unlikely.

Do you have any idea?
Greetings,
John Dohmen

dohmen@curacao-diving.com

Dohmen, J., 2001 (Jun 20) Black Sea Hare and mystery from Curacao. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/4630

Dear John,
There is only one law of nature - expect the unexpected! The big black Sea Hares are almost certainly Aplysia morio and the little brown mystery is Aplysia dactylomela which I see Humann calls the "Spotted Sea Hare". Your animal has very thick black rings. These appear to be the result of the merging of a pair of concentric rings. As Humann's book illustrates, the black rings in Caribbean specimens of Aplysia dactylomela are sometimes formed from a pair of concentric rings rather than a single ring as in the Indo-West Pacific.

Why are both species together? I guess most species of Aplysia have similar ecological requirements, so it is not uncommon to find mixed clusters of Sea Hares, often of two species, sometimes of more.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2001 (Jun 20). Comment on Black Sea Hare and mystery from Curacao by John Dohmen. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/4630

Factsheet

Aplysia dactylomela

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