Kingdom Animalia Family Pleurobranchaeidae Scientific name Pleurobranchaea bubala Higher classification Pleurobranchaea | Superfamily Pleurobranchoidea Genus Pleurobranchaea Phylum Mollusca Rank Species | |
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Similar Pleurobranchus, Pleurobranchidae, Pleurobranchus grandis, Notaspidea, Pleurobranchus forskalii | ||
The warty pleurobranch, scientific name Pleurobranchaea bubala, is a species of sea slug, specifically a sidegill slug or notaspidean. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Pleurobranchaeidae.
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Distribution
This species is endemic to the South African coast, and is found only from Hout Bay to Jeffreys Bay in 5-30 m of water.
Description
The warty pleurobranch has an oval sandy-coloured body with large opaque white bumps on the notum. It has a spade-shaped head and two widely separated rhinophores. There is a single gill on right hand side of body. It can be confused with the dwarf warty pleurobranch, which is smaller, has a smoother skin and can be found in deeper water.
Ecology
This pleurobranch is a voracious predator on other opisthobranchs. It has been seen eating smaller individuals of the same species. Its egg ribbon is a sizeable roll of several white loops.