''Chelidonura varians'' is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of small sea slug, a
marine opisthobranch
Opisthobranchs () is now an 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.
Euopisth ...
gastropod
The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda ().
This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, from freshwater, and from land. T ...
mollusc
Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is esti ...
in the
order Cephalaspidea
The order Cephalaspidea, also known as the headshield slugs and bubble snails, is a major taxon of sea slugs and bubble snails, marine gastropod mollusks within the larger clade Euopisthobranchia.Jörger K. M., Stöger I., Kano Y., Fukuda H., ...
, the headshield slugs.
Description & habitat
This species has a maximum size of 70 mm.
The background color is deep black. The margin of the
parapod
In invertebrates, the term parapodium ( Gr. ''para'', beyond or beside + ''podia'', feet; plural: parapodia) refers to lateral outgrowths or protrusions from the body. Parapodia are predominantly found in annelids, where they are paired, unjointed ...
s 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