Aplysia oculifera Adams & Reeve, 1850

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This species has been observed on Reunion and Seychelles Islands


Order : Anaspidea
Superfamily : Aplysioidea
Family : Aplysiidae
Distribution : Indo-West Pacific
Maximal size : 150 mm
Abundance : From time to time on the reef flat zone and the rocky coast


Species characteristics :

This species is characterised by the small brown eye-spots all over the head and parapodia.

The sinuous folds of the parapodia

Aplysia oculifera
Showing species characteristics...

Photo Philibert Bidgrain
Reunion, "Souris blanche" lagoon at Trois Bassins, less 1 m, 30 November 2006, size : 35-40 mm

See more about : Aplysia oculifera variability in Southwest Indian ocean
   See more about : Sightening and mating periods

Remarks :

Identification confirmed by Bill Rudman
    Synonymous : (according Worms)
               - No other name

Bibliographic data :

The dark rings or "eye-spots" which give the species the name oculifera which literally means "eye carrier"
    The background coloration of this species varies from green to brown.
    Plaut, Borut and Spira (1996) studied the influences of food type on growth and reproduction of the sea hare Aplysia oculifera (Adams and Reeve, 1850) under laboratory conditions.
    Five species of algae served as food,
                - Enteromorpha intestinalis promoted the fastest growth of A. oculifera,
                - Ulva spp. slower growth,
                - Cladophora sp. allowed maintenance of steady body mass,
                - and the brown algae Colpomenia sp. and Padina pavonia were rejected by the sea hares.

References :

Bill Rudman Seaslug site : Sea Slug Forum : Aplysia oculifera
   Nudipixel Aplysia oculifera

Publications :

Bebbington, A. (1974) Aplysiid species from East Africa with notes on the Indian Ocean Aplysiomorpha (Gastropoda: Opisthobranchia). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 54 : 63-99.
    Bebbington, A. (1977) Aplysiid species from Eastern Australia with notes on the Pacific Ocean Aplysiomorpha (Gastropoda: Opisthobranchia). Transactions of the Zoological Society of London , 34 : 87-147.
    Plaut, I. , A. Borut and M.E. Spira (1996). Influence of various environmental conditions on growth and reproduction in the sea hare Aplysia oculifera . J. Comp. Physiol. B., 166 : 510-516.

Other photos of Aplysia oculifera :

 

Philibert Bidgrain

Reunion, "Souris blanche" lagoon at Trois Bassins, less 1 m, 30 November 2006, size : 35-40 mm

You can see in this photo :
- the caracteristic inner face of the parapodia with white area form by tiny white specks
- between the parapodia the mantle which cover the internal shell.

 

Philibert Bidgrain

Reunion, "Souris blanche" lagoon at Trois Bassins, less 1 m, 20 November 2006, size : 50-60 mm

A darker green specimen.

Philibert Bidgrain

Reunion, "Souris blanche" lagoon at Trois Bassins, less 1 m, 30 November 2006, size : 35-40 mm

A. oculifera in a field of Enteromorpha sp, a good source of food...

Under the rhinophore you can see the eye...

 

Maurice Jay

Living animal : 127 mm. Shell : 12 mm

Internal shell. Somewhat hexagonal in shape, strongly convex, convex face with concentric growth striae, concave face pitted. Plain white

Christophe Cadet

Reunion, "Le nez du pharaon" at St Leu on the mooring buoy, hanging from the sargasse, October 2007, size : 20 mm

A brown background coloration

 

Christophe Cadet

Reunion, Etang salé, on the rocky coast, less 1 m, 20 October 2012, size : 30 mm

A mating behavior, like in other Aplysia...

Several pairs were observed

Christophe Mason-Parker

Seychelles, on a fixed fish aggregation device located 8km north of Praslin Island in the open ocean, 10 m, 24 January 2013, size : 150 mm

A red brown background coloration

 

 More photos from Indian Ocean

See more about : Aplysia oculifera variability in Southwest Indian ocean

Reunion, partially eaten Aplysia oculifera, at Trois Bassins, by Philibert Bidgrain

Reunion, Aplysia oculifera with brown background, at Etang salé, by Christophe Cadet