''Chelidonura varians'' is a
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
of small sea slug, a
marine opisthobranch
Opisthobranchs () is a now informal name for a large and diverse group of specialized complex gastropods which used to be united in the subclass Opisthobranchia. That taxon is no longer considered to represent a monophyletic grouping.
Euopistho ...
gastropod
Gastropods (), commonly known as slugs and snails, belong to a large Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda ().
This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, freshwater, and fro ...
mollusc
Mollusca is a phylum of protostome, protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant taxon, extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum ...
in the
order
Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to:
* A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica
* Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood
...
Cephalaspidea
The order Cephalaspidea, also known as the headshield slugs and bubble snails, is a major taxon of sea slugs and bubble snails, marine (ocean), marine gastropod mollusks within the larger clade Euopisthobranchia. Bubble shells is another commo ...
, the headshield slugs.
Description and habitat
This species has a maximum size of 70 mm.
The background color is deep black. The margin of the
parapods and body are marked with a thin electric blue line. The two rather long "tails" at the end of the animal are characteristic of the genus ''Chelidonura'', the left one is always longer. They have also well-developed sensory cilia on the anterior edge of the head which are used to find their prey.
This species lives on reef areas in shallow water lagoons with sandy or muddy bottom until 30 m depth.
Distribution
This cephalaspidean is widespread in the tropical waters of the Indo-west Pacific region.
Diet
''Chelidonura varians'' feeds on flatworms and it is used in aquariums to eradicate small flat worm invasions.
References
External links
*
SeaslugForum*
Aglajidae
Molluscs of the Indian Ocean
Molluscs of the Pacific Ocean
Gastropods described in 1903
{{Aglajidae-stub