Dolabrifera dolabrifera
Species of gastropod
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dolabrifera dolabrifera, commonly known as the warty seacat, is a species of sea hare, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Aplysiidae, the sea hares.[4][5] The animal goes by many names, including the common sea hare.[6] The Hawaiian name for Dolabrifera dolabrifera, is Kualakai.[6]
| Dolabrifera dolabrifera | |
|---|---|
| |
| A live individual of Dolabrifera dolabrifera, head end at the upper left | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Order: | Aplysiida |
| Family: | Aplysiidae |
| Genus: | Dolabrifera |
| Species: | D. dolabrifera |
| Binomial name | |
| Dolabrifera dolabrifera (Rang, 1828) | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Description & Biology
The seacat is a flat sea hare that grows to about 10 cm long.[7] The maximum recorded length is 108 mm.[8] It is commonly spotty green or brown, but it can also be reddish.[7] The animal's back half is typically wider and rounded, it narrows towards the head.[7] Warty seacats are soft-bodied gastropods, who have lost a protective shell over time.[5] All species of sea hares have ink glands for chemical defense, though Dolabrifera dolabrifera does not release ink.[9]
Distribution
This species is found in warm tropical and subtropical waters.[7]
Habitat
These animals are majorly preyed on in their habitat.[5] Warty seacats live in shallow-flat pools that contain large boulders, near-shore.[5] Collections of the hares gather underneath rocks in the intertidal zone.[10] At night the warty seacats hide themselves in between cracks found in the boulders.[5] During the day, when the tide rises, the seacats emerge.[5] Due to the varying in color and pattern, it is hard to distinguish them from other species in the habitat.[11] The minimum recorded depth for this species is 0 m; the maximum recorded depth is 3 m.[12]
