Aplysia dactylomela
Spotted sea hare
Similar Species
Distribution
Temperate Australasia, Temperate northern Atlantic, Tropical Atlantic/Caribbean
Description
Olive background colour with black rings and a network of fine black lines over the body, this species is confined to the tropical and subtropical Atlantic.
The very similar Aplysia argus is an Indo-Pacific species (previously considered to be Aplysia dactylomela).
Information
Max Size: 25 cm
Sea Temperature Range: 15.3-25.1°C
Depth: 0-15m
Habitat Generalization Index: N/A
Also referred to as the SGI (Species Generalisation Index), this describes the habitat niche breadth of the species. Species with values less than 15 are found in a relatively narrow range of reef habitat types (specialists), while those over 25 may be found on most hard substrates within their range (generalists). Learn more here.
Conservation and Rarity
IUCN Status: Not Evaluated
Occurrence: Infrequent (1.6% of sites)
Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed
Abundance: Few (2 per transect)
Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.
Edit by: Andrew Green