Royal flush sea slug (Akera bullata)
Distribution data supplied by the Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS). To interrogate UK data visit the NBN Atlas.Map Help
Researched by | Saskiya Richards | Refereed by | Admin |
Authority | O. F. Müller, 1776 | ||
Other common names | - | Synonyms | - |
Summary
Description
Recorded distribution in Britain and Ireland
Akera bullata has been sighted at scattered locations on all British coasts.Global distribution
The distribution of Akera bullata extends from the North Sea, Denmark, Norway and the Baltic to the Atlantic and the Mediterranean coasts of France and Spain.Habitat
Akera bullata inhabits soft, fine mud to muddy sand, in sheltered bays, from the lower shore to 370 m. It is often found with Zostera marina.Depth range
-Identifying features
- Oval shaped shell that is flattened tip and has up to 6 whorls.
- Shell is up to 4 cm long and coloured white to pale brown.
- Shell aperture almost as long as shell length.
- Head indented anteriorly, bears wide, flat lobes and marked with purplish-brown streaks.
- Body pale grey to orange and up to 6 cm in length.
- Base of body extends into two very large lobed parapodia.
Additional information
Akera bullata is herbivorous during the summer but feeds on sediment throughout the rest of the year. It is capable of swimming by use of its large, lobed parapodia. When disturbed it may excrete a purple coloured fluid from glands within the mantle. It reproduces throughout April to July.Listed by
- none -
Bibliography
Costello, M.J., Bouchet, P., Boxshall, G., Emblow, C. & Vanden Berghe, E., 2004. European Register of Marine Species [On-line]. http://www.marbef.org/data/erms.php,
Crothers, J. A., 1997. A key to the major groups of British marine invertebrates. Field Studies, 9, 1-177.
Crothers, J.H. (ed.), 1966. Dale Fort Marine Fauna. London: Field Studies Council.
Foster-Smith, J. (ed.), 2000. The marine fauna and flora of the Cullercoats District. Marine species records for the North East Coast of England. Sunderland: Penshaw Press, for the Dove Marine Laboratory, University of Newcastle upon Tyne.
Hayward, P., Nelson-Smith, T. & Shields, C. 1996. Collins pocket guide. Sea shore of Britain and northern Europe. London: HarperCollins.
Hayward, P.J. & Ryland, J.S. (ed.) 1995b. Handbook of the marine fauna of North-West Europe. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Howson, C.M. & Picton, B.E., 1997. The species directory of the marine fauna and flora of the British Isles and surrounding seas. Belfast: Ulster Museum. [Ulster Museum publication, no. 276.]
MBA (Marine Biological Association), 1957. Plymouth Marine Fauna. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom.
Morton, J.E., & Holme, N.A., 1955. The occurrence at Plymouth of the opisthobranch Akera bullata, with notes on its habits and relationships. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 34(1), 101-112.
Picton, B.E. & Costello, M.J., 1998. BioMar biotope viewer: a guide to marine habitats, fauna and flora of Britain and Ireland. [CD-ROM] Environmental Sciences Unit, Trinity College, Dublin.
Thompson, T. E. & Brown, G. H., 1976. British Opisthobranch Molluscs. London: Academic Press. [Synopses of the British Fauna, no. 8.]
Thompson, T.E. & Seaward, D.R. 1989. Ecology and taxonomic status of the aplysiomorph Akera bullata in the British Isles. Journal of Molluscan Studies, 55, 489-496.
Thompson, T.E., 1976. Biology of Opisthobranch Molluscs, vol. 1. London: The Ray Society.
Datasets
Centre for Environmental Data and Recording, 2018. Ulster Museum Marine Surveys of Northern Ireland Coastal Waters. Occurrence dataset https://www.nmni.com/CEDaR/CEDaR-Centre-for-Environmental-Data-and-Recording.aspx accessed via NBNAtlas.org on 2018-09-25.
Conchological Society of Great Britain & Ireland, 2018. Mollusc (marine) data for Great Britain and Ireland - restricted access. Occurrence dataset: https://doi.org/10.15468/4bsawx accessed via GBIF.org on 2018-09-25.
Conchological Society of Great Britain & Ireland, 2023. Mollusc (marine) records for Great Britain and Ireland. Occurrence dataset: https://doi.org/10.15468/aurwcz accessed via GBIF.org on 2024-09-27.
Fenwick, 2018. Aphotomarine. Occurrence dataset http://www.aphotomarine.com/index.html Accessed via NBNAtlas.org on 2018-10-01
NBN (National Biodiversity Network) Atlas. Available from: https://www.nbnatlas.org.
OBIS (Ocean Biodiversity Information System), 2024. Global map of species distribution using gridded data. Available from: Ocean Biogeographic Information System. www.iobis.org. Accessed: 2024-10-10
Citation
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Last Updated: 12/09/2007