Syphonota
Encyclopedia
Syphonota geographica, or the geographic sea hare, is a species
of sea slug
or sea hare, a marine
opisthobranch gastropod mollusk in the family
Aplysiidae
, the sea hare
s.
This is the only species within this genus, in other words, Syphonota is a monotypic
genus.
oceans, and the Mediterranean, and Red
seas.
s (head tentacles), which are further back, almost between the parapodial lobes. The parapodia, fleshy winglike outgrowths, come to a noticeable high point at the top of the animal.
The body coloration is whitish to green, with brown specks and a complicated network of white lines (hence the name 'geographica').
The maximum recorded length is 170 mm.
s.
Minimum recorded depth is 6 m. Maximum recorded depth is 7.5 m.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of sea slug
Sea slug
Sea slug is a common name used for several different groups of saltwater snails that either lack a shell or have only an internal shell, in other words this name is used for various lineages of marine gastropod mollusks that are either not conchiferous or appear not to be.The phrase "sea slug" is...
or sea hare, a marine
Marine (ocean)
Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...
opisthobranch gastropod mollusk in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Aplysiidae
Aplysiidae
The superfamily Aplysioidea is a superfamily of mostly rather large sea slugs, marine gastropod mollusks in the clade Aplysiomorpha within the informal group Opisthobranchia.This superfamily contains only one family, the Aplysiidae; the sea hares...
, the sea hare
Sea hare
The clade Aplysiomorpha, commonly known as Sea hares or Sea Bags , are medium-sized to very large Opisthobranchia with a soft internal shell made of protein...
s.
This is the only species within this genus, in other words, Syphonota is a monotypic
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
genus.
Distribution
This species is found in the Indo-West PacificIndo-Pacific
The Indo-Pacific is a biogeographic region of the Earth's seas, comprising the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the seas connecting the two in the general area of Indonesia...
oceans, and the Mediterranean, and Red
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
seas.
Description
Syphonota differs from the other Aplysiidae genera, through the position of the rhinophoreRhinophore
A rhinophore is one of a pair of club-shaped structures which are the most prominent part of the external head anatomy of a group of sea slugs, marine gastropod opisthobranch mollusks in the order Nudibranchia, the nudibranchs, specifically the dorid nudibranchs.- Etymology :The name relates to the...
s (head tentacles), which are further back, almost between the parapodial lobes. The parapodia, fleshy winglike outgrowths, come to a noticeable high point at the top of the animal.
The body coloration is whitish to green, with brown specks and a complicated network of white lines (hence the name 'geographica').
The maximum recorded length is 170 mm.
Habitat
This sea hare lives in lagoons and bays on sandy substrateSubstrate (marine biology)
Stream substrate is the material that rests at the bottom of a stream. There are several classification guides. One is:*Mud – silt and clay.*Sand – Particles between 0.06 and 2 mm in diameter.*Granule – Between 2 and 4 mm in diameter....
s.
Minimum recorded depth is 6 m. Maximum recorded depth is 7.5 m.