Aeolidia papillosa (Linnaeus, 1761)

Author: Ian Smith on 13 April 2010
Common grey sea slug; Môrwlithen lwyd (Welsh)

Description

Varies greatly in form and colour.
Body (excluding appendages)
Frequently 25mm – 60mm long , but up to 90mm, or, exceptionally, 120mm. Flesh mostly opaque; white, brown, grey, yellowish, ginger, rosaceous or pinkish, powdered and freckled with opaque white and gray, brown or lilac. White anal papilla usually concealed among cerata.
Cerata
Numerous, arranged in about 20 close rows of 12 – 24 cerata each, on each side of the body, concealing sides, but front half, at least, of dorsum usually exposed. Ceras shaped like willow leaf, rather flattened and swept back becoming longer and attenuated when active. Anterior cerata small, positioned well in front of rhinophores. Dense pigment, variously coloured, conceals internal yellow digestive gland, except for small translucent area at base of posterior face (only exposed when ceras swept forwards). Tips whitish.
Rhinophores
Smooth, short, straight, conical with trucated apex, and contractile. Opaque, similar colour to body, or darker shade, darkening more when contracted. Apex pale; yellowish or whitish.
Head
Anterior a broad smooth curve between oral tentacles, unless drawn back and puckered. Distance between oral tentacles about 3 times thickness of tentacle base. Oral tentacles usually a little longer than rhinophores. Diagnostic pale triangle in front of  rhinophores on some, but not all specimens. Its vertices often extend as lines between rhinophores and onto  oral tentacles. Oral tentacles usually distally powdered white and proximally flecked grey when no lines on them. Internal eyes at base of rhinophores not, or barely, visible through opaque pigment.
Foot
Rather broad, especially at front. Anterior gently convex with deep marginal  groove and small distinct propodial tentacles. Sole translucent white, revealing rose tinted ovotestis.

 

Key identification features

Similar species

Aeolidiella (3 spp. in GB & Ireland)

  • Lack pale triangular mark in front of rhinophores.
  • Extreme maximum length 46mm (A. sanguinea, others shorter).
  • Distance between oral tentacles about same as thickness of tentacle base.
  • Eyes easily visible at base of rhinophores.
  • Rhinophores and dorsum translucent, any opaque pigment widely spaced.

 

Ecology

Lower shore and sublittoral. On shores with some hard substrate, including outer estuaries to 20 ppt salinity and muddy sand with isolated stones coated with sediment. Will attack and eat many species of Sea anemone, including Actinea equina and Metridium senile. Simultaneous hermaphrodite. Convoluted white or pink cord of spawn, somewhat resembling a coiled spring, attached spirally to substrate in January - August. Veliger larvae live in plankton before metamorphosis. Small juveniles not often found on shore; may spend early life sublittorally.

Distribution and status

White Sea to Spain, Baffin Island to New England, and Alaska to California (See GBIF map). Widespread and common around Britain and Ireland. Up to 10/m² recorded in Netherlands.

Aeolidia papillosa. Pink-gray form. Cream triangle on head with vertices extended onto oral tentacles and between rhinophores. White tips on cerata. Conical rhinophores coloured as body, except pale tips. Lleyn Peninsula, Wales. Oct. 2009.
Image © I.F. Smith
Aeolidia papillosa. Length 55mm. Body sprinkled rose and yellow, cerata brown. Head lacks pale triangle. Oral tentacles powdered white distally, and grey flakes proximally, but no white line. White anal papilla near rufous faeces. Menai Strait. March 2010
Image © I.F. Smith

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Recorded UK distribution