Aplysia - Species

Species

Species within the genus Aplysia are as follows. This list follows the studies of Medina et al. who established a phylogenetic hypothesis for the genus Aplysia through study of the partial mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence data of ribosomal genes (rDNA).

• Aplysia californica California sea hare
  • Distribution : Northeast Pacific
• Aplysia cedrocensis
  • Distribution : Northeast Pacific
• Aplysia cervina
  • Distribution : West Atlantic
• Aplysia cornigera
  • Distributuion: Indian Ocean, West Pacific
• Aplysia cronullae
  • Distribution : Southwest Pacific
• Aplysia dactylomela Spotted sea hare
  • Distribution : Cosmopolitan; tropical and temperate seas.
  • Color : from pale gray to green to dark brown.
  • Description : large black rings on the mantle; good swimmer
• Aplysia denisoni
  • Distribution : Indian Ocean, West Pacific
• Aplysia depilans
  • Distribution : Northeast Atlantic, Mediterranean.
  • Description : thin, yellow inner shell
• Aplysia dura
  • Distribution : Southeast Atlantic, Southwest Pacific
• Aplysia euchlora
  • Distribution : Northwest Pacific
• Aplysia extraordinaria (possibly = Aplysia gigantea)
  • Distribution : Western Australia, New Zealand.
  • Length : more than 40 cm
• Aplysia fasciata ( Aplysia brasiliana is a junior synonym).
  • Distribution : East Atlantic, Mediterranean, West Africa, Red Sea
  • Length : 40 cm
  • Color : dark brown to black.
  • Description : sometimes has a red border to the parapodia and oral tentacles;
• Aplysia gigantea
  • Distribution : Indian Ocean, West Pacific
• Aplysia gracilis
  • Distribution : Red Sea
• Aplysia inca
  • Distribution : Southeast Pacific
• Aplysia juliana Walking sea hare
  • Distribution: cosmopolitan, circumtropical in all warm seas
  • Color: various, from uniform to pale brown
  • Description: no purple gland, therefore no ink secretions; posterior end of the foot can act as a sucker
• Aplysia keraudreni
  • Distribution: South Pacific
  • Length: 25 cm
  • Color: dark brown
• Aplysia kurodai
  • Distribution: NW Pacific
  • Length: 30 cm
  • Color: dark brown to purplish black, dotted with white spots
• Aplysia maculata
  • Distribution : Western Indian Ocean
• Aplysia morio Atlantic black sea hare, sooty sea hare
  • Distribution: Northwest Atlantic
  • Length: 40 cm
  • Color: black to deep brown; no spots
• Aplysia nigra
  • Distribution : Southwest Atlantic, South Pacific
• Aplysia nigra brunnea
  • Distribution: New Zealand
  • Length: 10 cm
  • Color: dark brown
• Aplysia oculifera Spotted sea hare
  • Distribution: Indian Ocean; West Pacific; common along the north, east and south coast of South Africa
  • Length: 15 cm
  • Description: greenish brown, with small brown to black spots with white centres
  • Habitat: shallow bays and estuaries
  • Behaviour: hides by day; emerges at night to feed on seaweed
• Aplysia parvula Pygmy sea hare, Dwarf sea hare
  • Distribution : worldwide in warm to temperate seas
  • Length: 6 cm
  • Color: brown to green spots
• Aplysia pulmonica
  • Distribution : West Pacific
• Aplysia punctata
  • Distribution: NE Atlantic
  • Length: 20 cm
  • Color: very variable
• Aplysia rehderi
  • Distribution : Northeast Pacific
• Aplysia reticulata
  • Distribution : Southwest Pacific
• Aplysia reticulopoda Net-foot sea hare
  • Distribution : Northeast Pacific
• Aplysia robertsi
  • Distribution : Northeast Pacific
• Aplysia rudmani
  • Distribution : Indian Ocean
• Aplysia sagamiana
  • Distribution: East Australia, Japan; Northwest Pacific
• Aplysia sibogae (?)(probably = Aplysia juliana)
• Aplysia sowerbyi
  • Distribution : Southwest Pacific
• Aplysia sydneyensis
  • Distribution: Australia
  • Length: 15 cm
  • Description: not clearly defined
• Aplysia tanzanensis
  • Distribution : Indian Ocean
• Aplysia tigrinella Gray, 1850
• Aplysia vaccaria California black sea hare (possibly ?= Aplysia cedrocensis)
  • Distribution: Pacific Coast of California
  • Length: very big – up to 75 cm
  • Color: black
  • Description: no purple ink; huge internal shell

Species brought into synonymy

• Aplysia albopunctata Deshayes, 1853 : synonym of Aplysia punctata (Cuvier, 1803)
• Aplysia ascifera Rang, 1828 : synonym of Dolabrifera dolabrifera (Rang, 1828)
• Aplysia brasiliana Mottled sea hare, sooty sea hare (junior synonym of Aplysia fasciata; different geographical populations of the same species) : synonym of Aplysia fasciata Poiret, 1789
• Aplysia cirrhifera Quoy & Gaimard, 1832 : synonym of Barnardaclesia cirrhifera (Quoy & Gaimard, 1832)
• Aplysia concava Sowerby, 1869 : synonym of Aplysia parvula Mørch, 1863
• Aplysia depressa Cantraine, 1835 : synonym of Phyllaplysia depressa (Cantraine, 1835)
• Aplysia dolabrifera Rang, 1828 : synonym of Dolabrifera dolabrifera (Rang, 1828)
• Aplysia donca : synonym of Aplysia morio (A. E. Verrill, 1901)
• Aplysia geographica : synonym of Syphonota geographica (A. Adams & Reeve, 1850)
• Aplysia hybrida Sowerby, 1806 : synonym of Aplysia punctata (Cuvier, 1803)
• Aplysia longicauda Quoy & Gaimard, 1825 : synonym of Stylocheilus longicauda (Quoy & Gaimard, 1825)
• Aplysia nettiae Winkler, 1959 : synonym of Aplysia californica J. G. Cooper, 1863
• Aplysia norfolkensis Sowerby, 1869 : synonym of Aplysia parvula Mørch, 1863
• Aplysia oahouensis Souleyet, 1852 : synonym of Dolabrifera dolabrifera (Rang, 1828)
• Aplysia petalifera Rang, 1828 : synonym of Petalifera petalifera (Rang, 1828)
• Aplysia rosea Rathke, 1799 : synonym of Aplysia punctata (Cuvier, 1803)
• Aplysia striata Quoy & Gaimard, 1832 : synonym of Stylocheilus striatus (Quoy & Gaimard, 1832)
• Aplysia willcoxi : synonym of Aplysia fasciata Poiret, 1789
• Aplysia winneba : synonym of Aplysia fasciata Poiret, 1789