''Dolabella'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

sea slug Sea slug is a common name for some marine invertebrates with varying levels of resemblance to terrestrial slugs. Most creatures known as sea slugs are gastropods, i.e. they are sea snails (marine gastropod mollusks) that over evolutionary t ...

s or sea hares,

marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

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 ...

mollusk 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 e ...

s in the family

Aplysiidae Aplysiidae is the only family in the superfamily Aplysioidea, within the clade Anaspidea. These animals are commonly called sea hares because, unlike most sea slugs, they are often quite large, and when they are underwater, their rounded body sh ...

, the sea hares.

Description

In the sea hares of the genus ''Dolabella'' the back end of the body has turned into a slanted disc-like shield, with a large, calcified shell buried inside. The color is variable, with specks of green and brown. There are fossil records of † ''Dolabella aldrichi'' from the Early

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...

, found in the

Chipola Formation The Chipola Formation is a Late Oligocene to Early Miocene geologic formation in the Florida Panhandle and member of the Alum Bluff Group. Age Period: Neogene Epoch: Early Miocene to Middle Miocene Faunal stage: Aqitanian ~18.9 to 18.3 mya, ...

in Florida Paleobiology Database
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Species

Species within the genus ''Dolabella'' include: DolabellaAuriculariaLayangB

* † '' Dolabella aldrichi'' * '' Dolabella auricularia'' Lightfoot, 1786 or Wedge Sea Hare * '' Dolabella gigas'' Rang, 1828 **Distribution : Indian Ocean. **Description : The internal shell has a saucer-shaped extension; armed penis ;Species brought into synonymy: * ''Dolabella aldrichi'' Dall, 1890 †: synonym of '' Floribella aldrichi'' (Dall, 1890) † (original combination) * ''Dolabella andersoni'' Allan, 1941: synonym of '' Dolabella auricularia'' (Lightfoot, 1786) * ''Dolabella callosa'' Lamarck, 1801: synonym of '' Dolabella auricularia'' (Lightfoot, 1786) * ''Dolabella cheni'' Sun, 1960: synonym of '' Dolabella auricularia'' (Lightfoot, 1786) * ''Dolabella dolabrifera'' Rang, 1828: synonym of ''

Dolabrifera dolabrifera ''Dolabrifera dolabrifera'' is a species of sea hare, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Aplysiidae, the sea hares. ''Dolabrifera dolabrifera,'' otherwise known as a ''Warty Seacat.'' The animal goes by many names, including the common sea ...

'' (Rang, 1828) * ''Dolabella ecaudata'' (Rang, 1828): synonym of '' Dolabella auricularia'' (Lightfoot, 1786) * ''Dolabella fragilis'' Lamarck, 1822: synonym of ''

Aplysia depilans ''Aplysia depilans'', the depilatory sea hare, is a species of sea hare or sea slug, a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusk in the family Aplysiidae. Its name has led to a folk etymology that its consumption caused hair loss. Distribution This ...

'' Gmelin, 1791 * ''Dolabella gigas'' (Rang, 1828): synonym of '' Dolabella auricularia'' (Lightfoot, 1786) * ''Dolabella hasselti'' Férussac in Rang, 1828: synonym of '' Dolabella auricularia'' (Lightfoot, 1786) * ''Dolabella laevis'' Blainville, 1819: synonym of ''

'' Gmelin, 1791 * ''Dolabella lepus'' Risso, 1826: synonym of ''

'' Gmelin, 1791 (dubious synonym) * ''Dolabella rumphii'' Blainville, 1819: synonym of '' Dolabella auricularia'' (Lightfoot, 1786) * ''Dolabella scapula'' O'Donoghue, 1929: synonym of '' Dolabella auricularia'' (Lightfoot, 1786) (non-binomial) * ''Dolabella variegata'' Pease, 1860: synonym of '' Dolabella auricularia'' (Lightfoot, 1786)

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q5288825 Aplysiidae Gastropod genera Taxa named by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck