Aglaja tricolorata
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| Aglaja tricolorata | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Order: | Cephalaspidea |
| Family: | Aglajidae |
| Genus: | Aglaja |
| Species: | A. tricolorata |
| Binomial name | |
| Aglaja tricolorata | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Aglaja tricolorata is a species of sea slug, an opisthobranch gastropod mollusc in the family Aglajidae. It is native to the Mediterranean Sea and the tropical eastern Atlantic Ocean where it lives in shallow water on the sandy seabed.
Aglaja tricolorata is a cylindrical sea slug growing to a length of about 5 cm (2 in). At the front there is a cephalic shield with a point at either side. Two parapodia project from either side of the foot and fold up over the back, each ending at the rear with a horn-shaped projection which often curves backwards. The hind end of the mantle has two rounded lobes; the left one is extended into a long flagellum, about one fifth the length of the body; the right one conceals the bipinnate gill. The whole animal is a translucent dark or pale brown colour, scattered with round white spots. The cephalic shield and the posterior lobes are margined by a thin white line. The sole of the foot is often darker than the upper parts, with white spots that are larger. A small internal shell, of one or two coils, is not visible externally.[2] Aglaja tricolorata may be confused with the slightly larger Philinopsis depicta, but in that species, the parapodia are bordered by a double line, a blue line outside and an orange inside, and there is no long flagellum.[2]