Petalifera
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| Petalifera Conservation status: Secure | ||||||||||||||||||||
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 Petalifera petalifera | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Petalifera (Gray, 1847) is a genus of sea hare, belonging to the family Aplysiidae. Some authors place it in a separate family Dolabriferidae.
A more general description can be found on the page of the superfamily Aplysioidea.
The parapodia (= fleshy winglike outgrowths), as can be seen in these fotos of Petalifera petalifera, are almost completely fused. The pair of small rounded flaps form the parapodial cavity over the mantle cavity and the vestigial shell. These sea hares swim by coiling and uncoiling the body.
Species
- Petalifera albomaculata Farran, 1905
- Petalifera habei Eales, 1960 (synonym of Petalifera ramosa)
- Petalifera krusadalai O’Donoghue, 1930
- Petalifera petalifera Rang, 1828
- Distribution : Cosmopolitan.
- Length : 2 to 4 cm
- Color : grayish to brown, with white longitudinal bands; almost translucent.
- Description : rather flat body; their color camouflages them when their are grazing on the brown alga Padina.
- Petalifera punctulata Tapparone-Canefri, 1874
- Distribution : Japan
- Petalifera qingdaonensis Lin, 1990
- Petalifera ramosa Baba, 1959
- Distribution : Western Pacific, Atlantic.
- Length : 5 to 7 cm
- Color : pink to pale brownish, with white rings over the body; almost translucent.
- Description : mantle covered with firm conical tubercles; the larger tubercles have terminal papillae with retractable filamentous branches; difficult to find, mostly hidden under the leaves of green alga Caulerpa.
External links and references
- Martinez, E., 1996. "On Petalifera petalifera (Rang, 1928) (Gastropoda: Opisthobranchia): new anatomical and geographical data". J. Moll. Stud. 62: 243-250.
- Baba, K. 1959. "The Genus Petalifera and a new species, P. ramosa, from Japan". Publ. Seto Mar. Biol.Lab. VII (3): 41-43.
- Photo of Petalifera petalifera (http://www.seaslugforum.net/petapeta.htm)
- Photo of Petalifera ramosa (http://www.philippine-sea-slugs.com/ANASPIDEA/Petalifera_ramosa_01.htm)