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Sea Slug, Black-Ringed Sea Hare

Scientific name:

Aplysia argus

Maori name:

Other names:

Sea Slug, Sea Hare, Spotted

Category:

Invertebrate

Phylum:

Mollusca

Class:

Gastropoda

Family:

Aplysiidae

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Common habitat(s):

Rocky Shore Intertidal

Rocky Reef Subtidal

Other information:

Feeding:

Predator

Distribution:

North Island

Edibility:

Unknown Edibility

Size:

Shoulder width Sized

Identification:

The complete exterior of the body is covered in black rings connected by a series of black lines.

Habitat:

Most commonly found in the low intertidal through summer and autumn.

Diet:

This large Sea Slug feeds primarily on sponges.

Lifestyle:

If threatened can discharge a dark purple inky "substance." Stringy egg masses can sometimes be seen. This is the most common Sea Hare found in the Northern NZ. It is unable to swim and the shell is flattened and completely internal. It is cosmopolitan in all tropical and subtropical seas.

Notes:

References:

NZ Molluscs: Powell NZ Coastal Marine Invertebrates; Vol 1